Medal of Honor: Edward R. Talley, World War I, October 7, 1918,
When his comrades fell before a German machine gun, Edward Talley refused to stop—charging the nest alone with only his rifle, silencing the weapon and saving his company.
October 7, 2025
Name: Edward R. Talley
Rank: Sergeant
War: World War I
Date of Action: October 7, 1918
Unit: Company L, 117th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division
Entered Service At: Russellville, Tennessee
Born: September 8, 1890, Russellville, Tennessee
Summary of Action
Near Ponchaux, France, Sergeant Edward Talley’s unit was pinned down by withering machine gun fire. One after another, soldiers who tried to take out the enemy nest were struck down. Refusing to let the gun continue its slaughter, Talley rose to his feet, clutched his rifle, and charged forward alone through the deadly hail of bullets. Closing on the position, he fired with deadly precision, killing or wounding at least six members of the enemy crew and silencing the gun that had held up his company’s advance. When German troops tried to bring up another weapon, Talley coolly turned his rifle on them, driving them back in confusion. His fearless assault turned the tide of the fight and cleared the path for his comrades to continue their advance.
Medal of Honor Citation
TALLEY, EDWARD R.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company L, 117th Infantry, 30th Division. Place and date: Near Ponchaux, France, 7 October 1918. Entered service at: Russellville, Tenn. Born: 8 September 1890, Russellville, Tenn. G.O. No.: 50, W.D., 1919. Citation: Undeterred by seeing several comrades killed in attempting to put a hostile machinegun nest out of action, Sgt. Talley attacked the position single-handed. Armed only with a rifle, he rushed the nest in the face of intense enemy fire, killed or wounded at least 6 of the crew, and silenced the gun. When the enemy attempted to bring forward another gun and ammunition he drove them back by effective fire from his rifle.
