Medal of Honor Recipient

Edward Silk was born in Johnstown Pa. on June 8th, 1916, and joined the Army in April 1941 shortly after the attack at Pearl Harbor. 1st Lt. Edward A. Silk commanded the weapons platoon of Company E, 398th Infantry regiment, of the 100th Infantry Division, on November 23, 1944, when his battalion was assigned the mission of seizing high ground overlooking  Moyenmoutier, France. His company jumped off in the lead at dawn and by noon had reached the edge of a woods in the vicinity of St. Pravel where scouts saw an enemy sentry standing guard before a farmhouse in a valley below. One squad, engaged in reconnoitering the area, was immediately pinned down by intense machine gun and automatic weapons fire from within the house. Lt. Silk then started a one-man attack by running 100 yards across an open field to the shelter of a low stone wall directly in front of the farmhouse, he fired into the door and windows with his carbine; then, in full view of the enemy, vaulted the wall and dashed 50 yards through a hail of bullets to the left side of the house, where he hurled a grenade through a window, silencing a machinegun and killing 2 gunners.

In attempting to move to the right side of the house he drew fire from a second machinegun emplaced in the woodshed. With magnificent courage, he rushed to this position in the face of direct fire and succeeded in neutralizing the weapon and killing the 2 gunners by throwing grenades into the structure. His supply of grenades was by now exhausted, but undaunted; he dashed back to the side of the farmhouse and began to throw rocks through a window, demanding the surrender of the remaining enemy. Twelve Germans, overcome by his relentless assault and confused by his unorthodox methods, gave up to the lone American. President Truman presented the Medal of Honor to Lt. Silk on October 12, 1945. Edward Silk continued his military career after WWII and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He is buried in Arlington Cemetery.