BARRETT, CARLTON W.
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army,
18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Place and date: Near St. Laurent-sur-Mer,
France, 6 June 1944. Entered service at: Albany, N.Y. Birth: Fulton,
N.Y. G.O. No.: 78, 2 October 1944.
Citation:
For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on
6 June 1944, in the vicinity of St. Laurent-sur-Mer, France. On the morning of D-day Pvt.
Barrett, landing in the face of extremely heavy enemy fire, was forced to wade ashore
through neck-deep water. Disregarding the personal danger, he returned to the surf again
and again to assist his floundering comrades and save them from drowning. Refusing to
remain pinned down by the intense barrage of small-arms and mortar fire poured at the
landing points, Pvt. Barrett, working with fierce determination, saved many lives by
carrying casualties to an evacuation boat Iying offshore. In addition to his assigned
mission as guide, he carried dispatches the length of the fire-swept beach; he assisted
the wounded; he calmed the shocked; he arose as a leader in the stress of the occasion.
His coolness and his dauntless daring courage while constantly risking his life during a
period of many hours had an inestimable effect on his comrades and is in keeping with the
highest traditions of the U.S. Army.
