Medal of Honor: Mitchell Paige, World War II, October 26, 1942

Name: Mitchell Paige
Rank: Platoon Sergeant
War: World War II
Date of Action: October 26, 1942
Unit: U.S. Marine Corps
Born: August 31, 1918 – Charleroi, Pennsylvania
Entered Service At: Pennsylvania

Summary of Action

On the night of October 26, 1942, during the Battle for Guadalcanal, the Japanese launched a massive counterattack against the Marine lines along Henderson Field. Their objective was simple—break through the thin Marine defenses and destroy the airfield that kept the island in American hands.

At the center of this chaos was Platoon Sergeant Mitchell Paige, commanding a section of machine guns guarding a critical sector. As waves of Japanese troops charged through the jungle, Paige’s men fought fiercely until every one of them was either killed or wounded. Alone, with enemy soldiers closing in from all sides, Paige refused to abandon his position.

Moving from gun to gun, he kept each weapon in operation—laying down relentless fire, cutting down attackers as fast as they appeared. When his machine gun was destroyed, he crawled through the smoke and debris to another and kept fighting. His courage and determination held the line long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

When the Marines counterattacked, Paige didn’t rest—he grabbed his rifle, rallied what men he could find, and led a fierce bayonet charge that drove the Japanese back and restored the line. His single-handed stand turned the tide in one of the most desperate moments on Guadalcanal.

Medal of Honor Citation

PAIGE, MITCHELL
Rank and organization: Platoon Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps.
Place and date: Solomon Islands, 26 October 1942.
Entered service at: Pennsylvania. Born: 31 August 1918, Charleroi, Pa.

Citation: For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty while serving with a company of Marines in combat against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands on 26 October 1942. When the enemy broke through the line directly in front of his position, P/Sgt. Paige, commanding a machine-gun section with fearless determination, continued to direct the fire of his gunners until all his men were either killed or wounded. Alone, against the deadly hail of Japanese shells, he fought with his gun, and when it was destroyed, took over another, moving from gun to gun, never ceasing his withering fire against the advancing hordes until reinforcements finally arrived. Then, forming a new line, he dauntlessly and aggressively led a bayonet charge, driving the enemy back and preventing a breakthrough in our lines. His great personal valor and unyielding devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.