Medal of Honor: A. L. Eggers and J. C. Latham

ALAN LOUIS EGGERS

Sergeant, US Army; Machine Gun Company, 107th Infantry, 27th Division

Born: Saranac Lake, N.Y.

Citation: Becoming separated from their platoon by a smoke barrage [near Le Catelet, France, on 29 September 1918], Sgt. Eggers, Sgt. John C. Latham and Cpl. Thomas E. O'Shea took cover in a shell hole well within the enemy's lines. Upon hearing a call for help from an American tank, which had become disabled 30 yards from them, the 3 soldiers left their shelter and started toward the tank, under heavy fire from German machineguns and trench mortars. In crossing the fire-swept area Cpl. O'Shea was mortally wounded, but his companions, undeterred, proceeded to the tank, rescued a wounded officer, and assisted 2 wounded soldiers to cover in a sap of a nearby trench. Sgt. Eggers and Sgt. Latham then returned to the tank in the face of the violent fire, dismounted a Hotchkiss gun, and took it back to where the wounded men were, keeping off the enemy all day by effective use of the gun and later bringing it, with the wounded men, back to our lines under cover of darkness.


JOHN CRIDLAND LATHAM

Sergeant, US Army; Machine Gun Company, 107th Infantry, 27th Division

Born: 3 March 1888, Windemere, England

Citation: Becoming separated from their platoon by a smoke barrage [near Le Catelet, France, on 29 September 1918], Sgt. Latham, Sgt. Alan L. Eggers, and Cpl. Thomas E. O'Shea took cover in a shellhole well within the enemy's lines. Upon hearing a call for help from an American tank which had become disabled 30 yards from them, the 3 soldiers left their shelter and started toward the tank under heavy fire from German machineguns and trench mortars. In crossing the fire-swept area, Cpl. O'Shea was mortally wounded, but his companions, undeterred, proceeded to the tank, rescued a wounded officer, and assisted 2 wounded soldiers to cover in the sap of a nearby trench. Sgts. Latham and Eggers then returned to the tank in the face of the violent fire, dismounted a Hotchkiss gun, and took it back to where the wounded men were keeping off the enemy all day by effective use of the gun and later bringing it with the wounded men back to our lines under cover of darkness.


Note: Corporal O'Shea was also awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously, for this action.