Medal of Honor: Gary Evans Foster, World War I, October 8, 1918
When his company was pinned down by German fire, Gary Foster charged alone through the smoke and bullets—destroying the guns and capturing eighteen men single-handedly.
October 8, 2025
Name: Gary Evans Foster
Rank: Sergeant
War: World War I
Date of Action: October 8, 1918
Unit: Company F, 118th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division
Entered Service At: Inman, South Carolina
Born: Spartanburg, South Carolina
Summary of Action
Near Montbrehain, France, during the final Allied push of World War I, Sergeant Gary Foster’s company was caught under a hail of machine gun fire pouring from a fortified sunken road. The advance was stopped cold. Determined to break the stalemate, Foster and a nearby officer moved forward through the deadly crossfire to silence the enemy guns. When the officer fell wounded, Foster pressed on alone. Crawling, sprinting, and firing as he advanced, he lobbed grenades into the enemy positions and fought at close quarters, killing several of the German gunners. By the time the smoke cleared, Foster had captured eighteen enemy soldiers and cleared the way for his company to move forward. His fearlessness and quick action turned a deadly impasse into a decisive victory.
Medal of Honor Citation
FOSTER, GARY EVANS
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company F, 118th Infantry, 30th Division. Place and date: Near Montbrehain, France, 8 October 1918. Entered service at: Inman, S.C. Birth: Spartanburg, S.C. G.O. No.: 16, W.D., 1919. Citation: When his company was held up by violent machinegun fire from a sunken road, Sgt. Foster with an officer went forward to attack the hostile machinegun nests. The officer was wounded, but Sgt. Foster continued on alone in the face of the heavy fire and by effective use of handgrenades and his pistol killed several of the enemy and captured 18.
