Harold Leo Turner (May 5, 1898 – March 12, 1938) was a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
soldier who received the
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. ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and Organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company F,
142d Infantry,
36th Division. Place and Date: Near
St. Etienne
ST, St, or St. may refer to:
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, 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.
Later life
After the war, Turner worked as a banker in
Seminole, Oklahoma, and was an
American Legion
The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...
organizer. He drowned while fishing at
Caddo Lake near
Kilgore, Texas in March 1938. He is buried at the Little Cemetery in
Little, Oklahoma Little is a populated place in Seminole County, Oklahoma at an elevation of 968 feet. It is north of the City of Seminole and east of Shawnee, Oklahoma, located at the intersection of US Route 377 and Oklahoma State Highway 99A, just south of In ...
.
See also
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients
The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recipient must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their ...
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War I
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Harold L.
1898 births
1938 deaths
Deaths by drowning in the United States
People from Seminole, Oklahoma
United States Army soldiers
United States Army personnel of World War I
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
World War I recipients of the Medal of Honor
People from Aurora, Missouri
Military personnel from Missouri