Medal of Honor: John Meagher – World War II, June 19, 1945

John Meagher
Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army
Conflict: World War II
Unit: Company E, 305th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division
Date of Action: June 19, 1945
Location: Near Ozato, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands

Summary of Action:
Okinawa was supposed to be the last stepping stone to Japan—but on June 19, 1945, near the village of Ozato, it became the crucible in which Technical Sergeant John Meagher carved his name into history.

Under a blazing sun and brutal enemy fire, Meagher’s unit was stalled—pinned down by pillboxes and machine gun nests dug into the hillside. Knowing his men couldn't move an inch until the guns were silenced, Meagher climbed atop an assault tank and, with enemy bullets snapping around him, began directing fire from the turret. Then he saw it—an enemy soldier sprinting toward the tank with a satchel charge.

There was no time to wait.

Meagher shouted a warning, jumped from the tank, and met the attacker mid-charge—killing him with a bayonet thrust as the charge detonated. The explosion knocked Meagher unconscious, shattered his rifle, and left him vulnerable on the field. But when he awoke, dazed and bloodied, the fight still burned in his chest.

He seized a tank-mounted machine gun and launched a one-man assault.

Firing from the hip, clothes torn by enemy fire, Meagher charged straight into a nest of resistance. He stormed the first pillbox, cutting down six enemy soldiers in a blinding burst of fire. Then, dodging bullets and grenades, he raced to a second gun position. His ammunition ran out just as he reached it.

So he swung the empty weapon like a club—and finished the job.

By the time it was over, Meagher stood alone among the dead, his ferocity having broken the enemy line wide open. His fearless assault cleared the way for his platoon to advance and marked him forever as one of the unsung titans of the Pacific War.

Medal of Honor Citation:
*"He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. In the heat of the fight, he mounted an assault tank, and, with bullets splattering about him, designated targets to the gunner. Seeing an enemy soldier carrying an explosive charge dash for the tank treads, he shouted fire orders to the gunner, leaped from the tank, and bayoneted the charging soldier.

Knocked unconscious and his rifle destroyed, he regained consciousness, secured a machinegun from the tank, and began a furious one-man assault on the enemy. Firing from his hip, moving through vicious crossfire that ripped through his clothing, he charged the nearest pillbox, killing six.

Going on amid the hail of bullets and grenades, he dashed for a second enemy gun, running out of ammunition just as he reached the position. He grasped his empty gun by the barrel and in a violent onslaught killed the crew.

By his fearless assaults T/Sgt. Meagher single-handedly broke the enemy resistance, enabling his platoon to take its objective and continue the advance."*