Earle Davis Gregory (October 18, 1897 – January 6, 1972) was an American soldier and World War I

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient for his heroic actions in 1918 during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France.

Biography

Earle Davis Gregory was born in Clayville, Virginia on October 18, 1897. Gregory was raised in

Chase City, Virginia Chase City is a town in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, United States. Chase City was incorporated in 1873 and named for Salmon P. Chase, United States Chief Justice and Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury. The population was 2,351 at the 2010 censu ...

and graduated from

Fork Union Military Academy Fork Union Military Academy (abbreviated as FUMA) is a private, all-male, college preparatory military boarding school located in Fork Union, Virginia. Founded in 1898, Fork Union is considered one of the premier military boarding academies in th ...

. He entered

Virginia Polytechnic Institute Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

in 1919, graduating with the Class of 1923. While at VPI, he studied

Electrical Engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

. During his senior year, he served as Alpha company commander and President of the Corps of Cadets. He was voted Most Popular Cadet by his peers during his senior year.

Military service

He enlisted at

in the U.S. Army during World War I. Earle Gregory received the

for actions as a U.S. Army sergeant during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in World War I. He is considered to be the first

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

n to receive the medal and often called the Sergeant York of Virginia. On October 8, 1918, Sgt Earl D. Gregory at Bois-de-Consenvoye, north of

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

, France, seized a rifle and trench-mortar shell, which he used as a

hand grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...

. Shouting "I will get them", he left his detachment of the trench-mortar platoon, and advancing ahead of the infantry, captured a machine gun and three of the enemy. Advancing still farther from the machinegun nest, he captured a 7.5-centimeter mountain howitzer and, entering a dugout in the immediate vicinity, single-handedly captured 19 of the enemy. For this act he received the

. Major General

Omar Bundy Major General Omar Bundy (June 17, 1861 – January 20, 1940) was a career United States Army officer who was a veteran of the American Indian Wars, Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, Pancho Villa Expedition, and World War I. A n ...

presented Gregory his medal in a ceremony at

Camp Lee Fort Lee, in Prince George County, Virginia, United States, is a United States Army post and headquarters of the United States Army Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM)/ Sustainment Center of Excellence (SCoE), the U.S. Army Quartermaster Scho ...

on April 29, 1919. He was also invested as a Chevalier (Knight) of the French

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, and was also awarded the

Médaille militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...

Croix de guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

and the Montenegrin Order of Merit for his actions during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

Later life

After his discharge from the Army in 1919, Gregory enrolled in the Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) and graduated in 1923. He pursued a career with the

Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and ...

. On May 2, 1963, he met President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

. On January 6, 1972, Gregory died at his home in

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of 1 ...

and is buried at the Tuscaloosa Memorial Park. His grave can be found in Section 18, Lot 60.

Military awards

Gregory's military decorations and awards include: Other awards - *Southern Cross of Honor, 1917-1918 pattern (United Daughters of the Confederacy) *Veterans of Foreign Wars Membership Insignia (VFW)

Medal of Honor Citation

General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 34 (March 7, 1919) "The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

''For extraordinary heroism on 8 October 1918, while serving with Headquarters Company, 116th Infantry, 29th Division, in action at Bois-de-Consenvoye, France. With the remark "I will get them," Sergeant Gregory seized a rifle and a trench-mortar shell, which he used as a hand grenade, left his detachment of the trench-mortar platoon, and advancing ahead of the infantry, captured a machinegun and three of the enemy. Advancing still farther from the machinegun nest, he captured a 7.5-centimeter mountain howitzer and, entering a dugout in the immediate vicinity, single-handedly captured 19 of the enemy.''

/S/

WOODROW WILSON Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

The Gregory Guard

The

Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets (VTCC) is the military component of the student body at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Cadets live together in residence halls, attend morning formation, wear a distinctive uniform, and recei ...

precision military marching unit, The Gregory Guard, was named in honor of Sgt Gregory in May 1963.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory, Earle D. 1897 births 1972 deaths Military personnel from Virginia United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Legion of Honour Virginia Tech alumni United States Army soldiers People from Powhatan County, Virginia World War I recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Chase City, Virginia