Medal of Honor: Emory J. Pike, World War I, September 15, 1918

Emory J. Pike
World War I – September 15, 1918

The Meuse-Argonne front was a cauldron of steel and fire when Lieutenant Colonel Emory J. Pike, Division Machinegun Officer of the 82nd Division, moved forward near Vandières, France. He could have remained behind, directing the guns from a safer vantage point, but Pike chose otherwise. He went forward himself to reconnoiter new positions and lend his strength to infantry units that had been shattered and scattered by relentless German shelling.

He found only a handful of men — barely twenty. Yet with this small force, Pike advanced, rallying them with his calmness and cheer even as shells fell around them. When reinforcements arrived, he threw himself into the task of establishing outposts, reorganizing the battered infantry, and restoring order where chaos reigned. His presence steadied men who otherwise might have broken under the strain of ceaseless bombardment.

Then a shell struck close, wounding one of his soldiers. Without hesitation, Pike rushed forward to help him. Another shell burst in the same spot, tearing into Pike himself. Gravely wounded, he refused to relinquish command. From the ground, in terrible pain, he continued to direct his men, still joking, still encouraging them, still giving strength where his men saw only death.

Hours passed before he was carried to the rear. The wounds he had taken while tending to another man would prove mortal. But his actions on that day — his willingness to expose himself to fire, his refusal to yield, his cheerfulness in the face of certain death — gave his men something no enemy shell could destroy: courage.

For his valor and selfless devotion, Lt. Col. Emory J. Pike was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He was one of the highest-ranking officers of the American Expeditionary Force to receive the nation’s highest decoration for gallantry. His name endures in the annals of the 82nd Division — a leader who gave his life so that others might endure.

Medal of Honor Citation

Having gone forward to reconnoiter new machinegun positions, Lt. Col. Pike offered his assistance in reorganizing advance infantry units which had become disorganized during a heavy artillery shelling. He succeeded in locating only about 20 men, but with these he advanced and when later joined by several infantry platoons rendered inestimable service in establishing outposts, encouraging all by his cheeriness, in spite of the extreme danger of the situation. When a shell had wounded one of the men in the outpost, Lt. Col. Pike immediately went to his aid and was severely wounded himself when another shell burst in the same place. While waiting to be brought to the rear, Lt. Col. Pike continued in command, still retaining his jovial manner of encouragement, directing the reorganization until the position could be held. The entire operation was carried on under terrific bombardment, and the example of courage and devotion to duty, as set by Lt. Col. Pike, established the highest standard of morale and confidence to all under his charge. The wounds he received were the cause of his death.