Kenneth E. Gruennert
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Kenneth E. Gruennert (November 19, 1922 – December 24, 1942) 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 and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—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. ...
—for his actions in
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 opposin ...
.


Biography

Born in Helenville, Wisconsin, on November 19, 1922, Gruennert attended Jefferson High School in nearby
Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
. During high school he played
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and was captain of the school's championship-winning team. At age 16, he enlisted in the
Wisconsin Army National Guard The Wisconsin Army National Guard ("Guard") has dual state and federal roles, and is jointly funded and maintained by both governments. Its federal mission is to provide trained units to the United States Army in time of war or national emergenc ...
from Helenville and served in the 32nd Infantry Division. The 32nd Division was federalized in 1940, and after the
attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...
the unit began training for combat. On December 24, 1942, Gruennert was fighting the Japanese in the
Battle of Buna-Gona A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
in
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...
as a
sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
with Company L of the 127th Infantry Regiment. Near the village of Buna, he was second-in-command of a
platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...
tasked with advancing through Japanese positions to a beach ahead. When they came upon a Japanese
bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. ...
, Gruennert single-handedly attacked and silenced the enemy soldiers' position. Although seriously wounded, he refused medical evacuation and successfully attacked a second bunker, but was killed by a sniper immediately after. For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor ten months later, on October 11, 1943. Gruennert, aged 20 at his death, was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in his hometown of Helenville.


Medal of Honor citation

Sergeant Gruennert's official Medal of Honor citation reads:


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 II This is a list of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II. 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 recip ...


References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Gruennert, Kenneth E. 1922 births 1942 deaths United States Army personnel killed in World War II United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from Jefferson County, Wisconsin United States Army soldiers Military personnel from Wisconsin World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor