The President of the United States
in the name of
The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor
to
*CHILES, MARCELLUS H.
Rank and Organization: Captain, U.S. Army,
356th Infantry, 89th Division. Place and Date: Near Le Champy Bas, France, 3
November 1918. Entered Service At: Denver, Colo. Birth: Eureka Springs, Ark.
G. O. No.: 20, W.D., 1919.
Citation:
When his battalion, of which he had just taken command, was halted by machinegun fire from
the front and left flank, he picked up the rifle of a dead soldier and, calling on his men
to follow led the advance across a stream, waist deep, in the face of the machinegun fire.
Upon reaching the opposite bank this gallant officer was seriously wounded in the abdomen
by a sniper, but before permitting himself to be evacuated he made complete arrangements
for turning over his command to the next senior officer, and under the inspiration of his
fearless leadership his battalion reached its objective. Capt. Chiles died shortly after
reaching the hospital.
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