Cecil Hamilton Bolton
From Find a Grave |
From history.army.mil |
Medal of Honor Recipient
Notes:
• One of two World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Winners - Why Is It Named That?
• Grew up in Sheffield, AL and enlisted in the U. S. Army on July, 27, 1942 at Huntsville, Alabama. - Madison County Military Hall of Heroes
• Was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in World War II. Rose to the Rank of Colonel in the Army. Unit: 413th infantry Regiment, 104th Infantry Division. - Wikipedia
• Bolton's official Medal of Honor citation reads: "As leader of the weapons platoon of Company E, 413th Infantry, on the night of November 2, 1944, he fought gallantly in a pitched battle which followed the crossing of the Mark River in Holland. When 2 machineguns pinned down his company, he tried to eliminate, with mortar fire, their grazing fire which was inflicting serious casualties and preventing the company's advance from an area rocked by artillery shelling. In the moonlight it was impossible for him to locate accurately the enemy's camouflaged positions; but he continued to direct fire until wounded severely in the legs and rendered unconscious by a German shell. When he recovered consciousness he instructed his unit and then crawled to the forward rifle platoon positions. Taking a two-man bazooka team on his voluntary mission, he advanced chest deep in chilling water along a canal toward 1 enemy machinegun. While the bazooka team covered him, he approached alone to within 15 yards of the hostile emplacement in a house. He charged the remaining distance and killed the 2 gunners with hand grenades. Returning to his men he led them through intense fire over open ground to assault the second German machinegun. An enemy sniper who tried to block the way was dispatched, and the trio pressed on. When discovered by the machinegun crew and subjected to direct fire, 1st Lt. Bolton killed 1 of the 3 gunners with carbine fire, and his 2 comrades shot the others. Continuing to disregard his wounds, he led the bazooka team toward an 88-mm. artillery piece which was having telling effect on the American ranks, and approached once more through icy canal water until he could dimly make out the gun's silhouette. Under his fire direction, the two soldiers knocked out the enemy weapon with rockets. On the way back to his own lines he was again wounded. To prevent his men being longer subjected to deadly fire, he refused aid and ordered them back to safety, painfully crawling after them until he reached his lines, where he collapsed. 1st Lt. Bolton's heroic assaults in the face of vicious fire, his inspiring leadership, and continued aggressiveness even through suffering from serious wounds, contributed in large measure to overcoming strong enemy resistance and made it possible for his battalion to reach its objective." - Medal of Honor Recipients World War II
Related Links:
The Following Pages Link to this Page:
• Why Is It Named That?
| Born: | October 7, 1908, Crawfordsville, FL |
| Died: | January 22, 1965, San Antonio, TX |
| Buried: | Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio |
Notes:
• One of two World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Winners - Why Is It Named That?
• Grew up in Sheffield, AL and enlisted in the U. S. Army on July, 27, 1942 at Huntsville, Alabama. - Madison County Military Hall of Heroes
• Was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in World War II. Rose to the Rank of Colonel in the Army. Unit: 413th infantry Regiment, 104th Infantry Division. - Wikipedia
• Bolton's official Medal of Honor citation reads: "As leader of the weapons platoon of Company E, 413th Infantry, on the night of November 2, 1944, he fought gallantly in a pitched battle which followed the crossing of the Mark River in Holland. When 2 machineguns pinned down his company, he tried to eliminate, with mortar fire, their grazing fire which was inflicting serious casualties and preventing the company's advance from an area rocked by artillery shelling. In the moonlight it was impossible for him to locate accurately the enemy's camouflaged positions; but he continued to direct fire until wounded severely in the legs and rendered unconscious by a German shell. When he recovered consciousness he instructed his unit and then crawled to the forward rifle platoon positions. Taking a two-man bazooka team on his voluntary mission, he advanced chest deep in chilling water along a canal toward 1 enemy machinegun. While the bazooka team covered him, he approached alone to within 15 yards of the hostile emplacement in a house. He charged the remaining distance and killed the 2 gunners with hand grenades. Returning to his men he led them through intense fire over open ground to assault the second German machinegun. An enemy sniper who tried to block the way was dispatched, and the trio pressed on. When discovered by the machinegun crew and subjected to direct fire, 1st Lt. Bolton killed 1 of the 3 gunners with carbine fire, and his 2 comrades shot the others. Continuing to disregard his wounds, he led the bazooka team toward an 88-mm. artillery piece which was having telling effect on the American ranks, and approached once more through icy canal water until he could dimly make out the gun's silhouette. Under his fire direction, the two soldiers knocked out the enemy weapon with rockets. On the way back to his own lines he was again wounded. To prevent his men being longer subjected to deadly fire, he refused aid and ordered them back to safety, painfully crawling after them until he reached his lines, where he collapsed. 1st Lt. Bolton's heroic assaults in the face of vicious fire, his inspiring leadership, and continued aggressiveness even through suffering from serious wounds, contributed in large measure to overcoming strong enemy resistance and made it possible for his battalion to reach its objective." - Medal of Honor Recipients World War II
Related Links:
• Find A Grave - Bio and Photos of Bolton and his grave.
• Flickr - Great niece (Cynthia Achorn) holds photo of her great Uncle, WWII Medal of Honor Recipient Cecil Bolton from Huntsville, Alabama
• House of Names - Bolton Coat of Arms and Name History (Originally found at http://www.houseofnames.com/bolton-coat-of-arms.)
• Madison County Military Hall of Heroes - Madison County Medal of Honor Recipients (Originally found at http://www.mcmhc.org/army-moh.htm.)
• Medal of Honor Recipients World War II - Award photo and citation, organized in alphabetical order. (Originally found at http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/wwII-a-f.html.)
• Why Is It Named That? - By Dex Nilsson, Twinbrook Communications, © 2003, p. 79.
• Wikipedia - Bio
The Following Pages Link to this Page:
• Why Is It Named That?