Medal of Honor: Jesse N. Funk – World War I – October 31, 1918

Name: Jesse N. Funk
Rank: Private First Class
War: World War I
Date of Action: October 31, 1918
Unit: Company L, 354th Infantry Regiment, 89th Division
Born: August 20, 1888 – New Hampton, Missouri
Entered Service At: Calhan, Colorado

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Summary of Action

In the closing days of World War I, two American patrols were cut down and stranded far out in No Man’s Land near Bois-de-Bantheville, France. Machine-gun fire swept the open field, killing anyone who tried to cross. The men’s cries for help carried faintly back to the trenches—but no one could reach them without certain death.

Private First Class Jesse N. Funk, a stretcher bearer with the 354th Infantry, couldn’t stand by. Grabbing his medical gear, he and a fellow bearer left cover and crawled 500 yards through the open, shells bursting and bullets tearing the ground around them. Reaching the first wounded officer, they hoisted him onto a stretcher and dragged him back through the fire. Then, without rest or hesitation, they went out again—returning through that deadly ground to rescue another.

Their courage and compassion in the face of near-certain death saved two lives and became a shining example of the humanity that endures even amid the horror of war.

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Medal of Honor Citation

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company L, 354th Infantry, 89th Division.
Place and date: Near Bois-de-Bantheville, France, 31 October 1918.
Entered service at: Calhan, Colo.
Born: 20 August 1888, New Hampton, Mo.
G.O. No.: 20, W.D., 1919.

Citation:
Learning that 2 daylight patrols had been caught out in No Man’s Land and were unable to return, Pfc. Funk and another stretcher bearer, upon their own initiative, made 2 trips 500 yards beyond our lines, under constant machinegun fire, and rescued 2 wounded officers.