The President of the United States
in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor
to
TURNER, HAROLD L.
Rank and Organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company
F, 142d Infantry, 36th Division. Place and Date: Near St. Etienne, France, 8
October 1918. Entered Service At: Seminole, Okla. Born: 5 May 1898, Aurora,
Mo. G. O. No.: 59, W.D., 1919.
Citation:
After his platoon had started the attack Cpl. Turner assisted in organizing a platoon
consisting of the battalion scouts, runners, and a detachment of Signal Corps. As second
in command of this platoon he fearlessly led them forward through heavy enemy fire,
continually encouraging the men. Later he encountered deadly machinegun fire which reduced
the strength of his command to but 4 men, and these were obliged to take shelter. The
enemy machinegun emplacement, 25 yards distant, kept up a continual fire from 4
machineguns. After the fire had shifted momentarily, Cpl. Turner rushed forward with fixed
bayonet and charged the position alone capturing the strong point with a complement of 50
Germans and 1 machineguns. His remarkable display of courage and fearlessness was
instrumental in destroying the strong point, the fire from which had blocked the advance
of his company.
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