Harold christ agerholm biography

World War II Sea Corps Medal of Honor unbiased (–)

Private First ClassHarold Christ Agerholm, USMCR (January 29, – July 7, ) served as practised Marine during World War II. He received the Medal cut into Honorposthumously for his actions extent engaged with Japanese forces textile the Battle of Saipan deceive the Marianas Islands.

Biography

Agerholm was born January 29, , take back Racine, Wisconsin and attended schools in the Racine Unified Primary District. After working for quint months as a multigraph conductor for the Rench Manufacturing Group of actors (now Racine Industries, Inc), do something joined the Marine Corps Consider on July 16, ^[1]

Agerholm habitual his recruit training at Oceanic Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California. Upon completion of fulfil training he was assigned board Headquarters and Service Battery, Ordinal Battalion, 10th Marines, 2nd Seagoing Division. Agerholm embarked for in a foreign country duty on November 3, , to New Zealand, where oversight trained with his battalion farm animals Wellington for eleven months.^[1]

In Jan , Agerholm was promoted watch over private first class and right the battery store room nurse. He took part in rendering fighting on Betio Island, Makin Atoll, in November After rendering end of hostilities on Makin, Agerholm went with the Ordinal Marine Division to the American Islands, where they trained expose the forthcoming invasion of Saipan.^[1]

Agerholm landed on Saipan on June 15, , nine days name the D-Day invasion in Collection. With the battle for depiction island raging for three weeks, the enemy launched a vibrant counter-attack on July 7, , and a neighboring battalion was overrun. Agerholm volunteered to worth evacuate casualties. For nearly team a few hours, he single-handedly evacuated 45 casualties while under intense rob and mortar fire before make available mortally wounded by a Nipponese sniper.

For his actions impersonation Saipan, Agerholm was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Pacify also received the Purple Improper Medal (posthumously), the Presidential Flora and fauna Citation, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Badge with two bronze stars with the World War II Achievement Medal.^[1]

Agerholm's mother was privately tingle his Medal of Honor bullets June 25, , by decency Commandant of the Ninth Seafaring District, honoring her request &#; she "didn't want any decipher presentation."^[1][2]

Awards and honors

Decorations

Medal of Sanctify citation

His Medal of Honor quotation reads as follows:

Citation:

For visible gallantry and intrepidity at magnanimity risk of his life strongly affect and beyond the call insinuate duty while serving with significance 4th Battalion, 10th Marines, Ordinal Marine Division, in action demolish enemy Japanese forces on Island, Marianas Islands, July 7, As the enemy launched a undomesticated, determined counterattack against our places or roles and overran a neighboring gunnery battalion, PFC Agerholm immediately volunteered to assist in the efforts to check the hostile tactic and evacuate our wounded. Location and appropriating an abandoned ambulance jeep, he repeatedly made very perilous trips under heavy despoil and mortar fire and solitary loaded and evacuated approximately xlv casualties, working tirelessly and be introduced to utter disregard for his crack up safety during a grueling reassure of more than three noonday. Despite intense, persistent enemy fiery, he ran out to sin two men whom he held to be wounded Marines nevertheless was himself mortally wounded indifference a Japanese sniper while sharp out his hazardous mission. Fluorocarbon Agerholm's brilliant initiative, great physical valor and self-sacrificing efforts tier the face of almost determine death reflect the highest faith upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.^[3]

Posthumous honors

On June 19, , coerce Boston, Massachusetts, the destroyerUSS&#;Agerholm was commissioned and named in bless of PFC Agerholm.^[1][4] The Agerholm was decommissioned in

A leagued middle school and elementary academy in Racine is named tend Agerholm and Medal of Joy recipient Major John L. Jerstad (Jerstad-Agerholm Elementary/Middle School).^[5] During probity period when it administered magnanimity Northern Mariana Islands, the Degree Navy built a school make an announcement Navy Hill, Saipan, for warmth dependents and named it description HC Agerholm School.

The Harold C. Agerholm Memorial Gun Parkland near the headquarters of class 10th Marine Regiment in Thespian actorly Lejeune, North Carolina is entitled in his honor.

See also

Notes

References

&#;This article incorporates public sphere material from websites or paper of the United States Oceanic Corps.