The President of the United States
in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor
to
*WIGLE, THOMAS W.
Rank and Organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army,
Company K, 135th Infantry, 34th Infantry Division. Place and Date Monte Frassino,
Italy, 14 September 1944. Entered Service at: Detroit, Mich. Birth:
Indianapolis, Ind. G.O. No.: 8, 7 February 1945.
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of
duty in the vicinity of Monte Frassino, Italy. The 3d Platoon, in attempting to seize a
strongly fortified hill position protected by 3 parallel high terraced stone walls, was
twice thrown back by the withering crossfire. 2d Lt. Wigle, acting company executive,
observing that the platoon was without an officer, volunteered to command it on the next
attack. Leading his men up the bare, rocky slopes through intense and concentrated fire,
he succeeded in reaching the first of the stone walls. Having himself boosted to the top
and perching there in full view of the enemy, he drew and returned their fire while his
men helped each other up and over. Following the same method, he successfully negotiated
the second. Upon reaching the top of the third wall, he faced 3 houses which were the key
point of the enemy defense. Ordering his men to cover him, he made a dash through a hail
of machine-pistol fire to reach the nearest house. Firing his carbine as he entered, he
drove the enemy before him out of the back door and into the second house. Following
closely on the heels of the foe, he drove them from this house into the third where they
took refuge in the cellar. When his men rejoined him, they found him mortally wounded on
the cellar stairs which he had started to descend to force the surrender of the enemy. His
heroic action resulted in the capture of 36 German soldiers and the seizure of the
strongpoint.
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