John David Magrath (July 4, 1924 – April 14, 1945) was a

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

in the

U.S. 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, cl ...

who

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

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 valo ...

for his heroic actions and sacrifice of life during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

for actions occurring in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

on April 14, 1945. He served in the

10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to re ...

. The Shea-Magrath Sports Complex at Norwalk High School in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

is named for him. In June 1995,

Fort Drum Fort Drum is a U.S. Army military reservation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, on the northern border of New York, United States. The population of the CDP portion of the base was 12,955 at the 2010 census. It is home ...

, New York renamed its Soldiers Sports Complex the Magrath Sports Complex. A plaque and portrait are in display Magrath Gym to honor his memory. In August 2013 the dedication of a monument and plaque in his honor was placed at the location of the battle by residents of Castel d'Aiano. Magrath was born in the East Norwalk section of Norwalk, Connecticut on July 4, 1924. He enlisted in the Army from East Norwalk in March 1943. He was killed in action in Italy at age 20. PFC John D. Magrath is the first Medal of Honor recipient of the 10th Mountain Division.

Medal of Honor citation

Private First Class Magrath's official Medal of Honor citation, awarded July 17, 1946, reads:

He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty when his company was pinned down by heavy artillery, mortar, and small arms fire, near Castel d'Aiano, Italy. Volunteering to act as a scout, armed with only a rifle, he charged headlong into withering fire, killing 2 Germans and wounding 3 in order to capture a machinegun. Carrying this enemy weapon across an open field through heavy fire, he neutralized 2 more machinegun nests; he then circled behind 4 other Germans, killing them with a burst as they were firing on his company. Spotting another dangerous enemy position to this right, he knelt with the machinegun in his arms and exchanged fire with the Germans until he had killed 2 and wounded 3. The enemy now poured increased mortar and artillery fire on the company's newly won position. Pfc. Magrath fearlessly volunteered again to brave the shelling in order to collect a report of casualties. Heroically carrying out this task, he made the supreme sacrifice—a climax to the valor and courage that are in keeping with highest traditions of the military service.

Awards and decorations

Magrath was awarded the following throughout his military career:

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Magrath, John D. 1945 deaths Burials in Riverside Cemetery (Norwalk, Connecticut) United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from Norwalk, Connecticut United States Army personnel killed in World War II 1924 births World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor Military personnel from Connecticut United States Army soldiers

Medal of Honor citation

Awards and decorations

See also

References