This is the true story about the events listed in the citation and news paper article as told to me (his son) by Sgt. John Weick.

On July 16, 1944 Staff Sgt. Weick, Squad Leader of the third squad, of the third platoon of Company B, 134th Infantry Regiment, was with his men trying to once again take hill 122 out side St Lo, It was 10:45 at night. They had previously taken the hill, that was sorely needed to reduce and take the town.

The Germans had setup 3 machine nests on the opposite side of the field that they needed to cross to reach hill 122. When his squad pilled into the sunken road behind the hedge row opposite the Germans they landed on the 1st and 2nd squads of his platoon. The machine gun file was deadly and the other squad leaders were having a hard time getting their men over the hedge row.

He said the thought to himself, one well placed mortar round would take out the entire platoon. Then he remembered what General Patton told them before they left England. "You must lead your men. You lead they will follow."

So he said "Come on 3rd squad, lets go!" and headed over the hedge row. The entrie platoon followed. They were met with dangerous machine gun and mortar fire. He paired up with a BAR man from the second squad, Charlie Ott, and started toward one of the machine nest. The Germans were firing tracer bullets so they could see where they were shooting.

As they got close to one of the machine gun nests, he said to Charlie, "Let's get him" and he pulled a gernade and pulled the pin. Before he could throw it, a German raised up and opened fire on them. He was struck in the right shoulder. He said it was like getting hit with a sledgehammer and he went down. Charlie was hit 4 or 5 times between the knees and waist and went down also.

With all the machine gun fire and mortar fire he was quickly forgotten, until he started moving, dragging unconscious Private Ott back toward the hedgerow. He had to stopped at times until the firing moved away from his position then he would continue. He thinks is was only 30 yards or so but it felt like a mile.

When he reached the hedgerow he began to push Private Ott over when he realized he still had the live gernade in his frozen right hand, and the pin was over 30 yards away. He said there was no way he was going to go over with a live gernade.He pushed Private Ott over the hedge row.

Knowing if he went over the hedge row with the live gernade there was a chance it could go off and injure all the soldiers on the other side.

He prided his frozen fingers from the gernade, with his left hand and tossed as far as he could into the field, which wasn't far he said. He then dove over the hedge row as the Germans turned their guns in his direction and cut the top of the hedge row down.

On the other side of the hedge row, Private Ott was nowhere to be seen, the medics had already taken him away. Since he could walk they pointed down the road and said, "the aid station is that way". He walked over a half mile to the aid station where the Doctor removed the bullet, that had entered the front of his shoulder, out of the back of his shoulder. The Doctor put the bullet in his shirt pocket and he wore it around his neck for the duration of the war.

He was in England until December 20, 1944 recovering from his wound. He returned to his unit, after chasing them all over Europe, outside Bastogne with Patton's 3rd Armor Unit. His regiment was the infantry supporting General Patton's Armor.

John E Weick