Francis Asbury Awl Major, United States Army |
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Asbury Awl of Pennsylvania
Private, Governor's Troop of Pennsylvania Cavalry, 28 April to 21 November 1898 Second Lieutenant, 6th U. S. Infantry, 1 December 1899 First Lieutenant, 24 September 1901 Transferred to 15th U. S. Infantry, 24 October 1902 AWL, FRANCIS A Captain, U.S. Army Home: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 315th Infantry Regiment, 79th Division, A.E.F. Date of Action: September 26 - 29, 1918 General Orders No. No. 38, W.D., 1922 Citation: The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Francis A. Awl, Captain, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action during the Meuse- Argonne offensive, September 26 - 29, 1918. On September 26, when a portion of his company
had been pocketed on a ridge and subjected to enfilade fire of the enemy's
machine guns and snipers, disregarding his own safety, Captain Awl crawled
into the open on the exposed flank and, by engaging the enemy, enabled
his men to withdraw, thereby saving a great loss of life and permitting
the unit to reform for a further advance. Later he repeatedly led successful
attacks against superior numbers and machine-gun nests. While in an attack
on September 29 he was severely wounded and refused to be evacuated until
forced to do so.
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