WWII · Battle Death Record
William McGee
Private, U.S. Army · Indiana
Medal of Honor
Personnel File — Core Information
- Name
- William McGee
- Entered the Service From
- Indiana
- Rank
- Private
- Service
- U.S. Army
- Unit / Regiment
- Medical Detachment, 304th Infantry Regiment, 76th Infantry Division
- War
- WWII
- Date of Death
- March 19, 1945
- Awards
- Medal of Honor, Purple Heart
- Burial / Memorial
- Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
- Grave
- Plot C, Row 7, Grave 13
Their story
As a medical aid man, McGee made a night crossing of the Moselle River near Mulheim, Germany, on March 18, 1945, and voluntarily entered an anti-personnel minefield to rescue two seriously wounded comrades. After carrying one man to safety, he stepped on a mine while returning for the second and, though gravely wounded, ordered his comrades to stay out of the minefield rather than risk their lives for him. He died of his wounds the following day and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Compiled from American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and National Archives (NARA) records and public sources.
This record is one of more than 200,000 in our historical archive. Some information may have been corrupted or lost over decades of data conversion. Corrections are welcome — please contact the archive.