George J. Peters

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Private George J. Peters (ASN: 31297689), United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company G, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division, in action at Fluren, Germany, on 24 March 1945. Private Peters, a platoon radio operator with Company G, made a descent into Germany near Fluren, east of the Rhine. With ten others, he landed in a field about 75 yards from a German machinegun supported by riflemen, and was immediately pinned down by heavy, direct fire. The position of the small unit seemed hopeless with men struggling to free themselves of their parachutes in a hail of bullets that cut them off from their nearby equipment bundles, when Private Peters stood up without orders and began a one-man charge against the hostile emplacement armed only with a rifle and grenades. His single-handed assault immediately drew the enemy fire away from his comrades. He had run halfway to his objective, pitting rifle fire against that of the machinegun, when he was struck and knocked to the ground by a burst. Heroically, he regained his feet and struggled onward. Once more he was torn by bullets, and this time he was unable to rise. With gallant devotion to his self-imposed mission, he crawled directly into the fire that had mortally wounded him until close enough to hurl grenades which knocked out the machinegun, killed two of its operators, and drove protecting riflemen from their positions into the safety of a woods. By his intrepidity and supreme sacrifice, Private Peters saved the lives of many of his fellow soldiers and made it possible for them to reach their equipment, organize, and seize their first objective.

General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 16 (February 8, 1946)

Action Date: 24-Mar-45

Service: Army

Rank: Private

Company: Company G

Regiment: 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment

Division: 17th Airborne Division