Medal of Honor: William Shemin – World War I, August 7, 1918

Name: William Shemin

Rank: Sergeant
Conflict: World War I
Unit: Company G, 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, 4th Division, American Expeditionary Forces
Date of Action: August 7–9, 1918
Location: Near Bazoches, France
Date of Issue: June 2, 2015 (Posthumous)
Birth: October 14, 1896 – Bayonne, New Jersey
Entered Service At: Syracuse, New York
Died: August 15, 1973

Summary of Action:

In the sweltering summer of 1918, amid the blood-soaked banks of the Vesle River, Sergeant William Shemin faced the storm of German machine guns and chose selfless courage over safety.

For three relentless days—August 7 through August 9—near Bazoches, France, Shemin’s unit came under withering fire from entrenched enemy positions. Men fell all around him. But instead of remaining behind cover, Shemin dashed across 150 yards of open terrain, fully exposed to bullets and shrapnel, not once—but three separate times—to pull wounded comrades to safety.

When his platoon’s officers and senior NCOs became casualties, Shemin took command without hesitation. Under direct enemy fire, he reorganized his men and maintained the fight until he, too, was seriously wounded on August 9.

Shemin survived the war and lived quietly for decades. But the valor he displayed over those harrowing days near the Vesle River was never forgotten. Nearly a century later, the nation he served finally bestowed its highest honor.

He was Jewish, a fact that made his delayed recognition even more poignant given the era’s prejudices. But in war, Shemin’s courage spoke louder than any ignorance. He was a soldier—a leader forged in battle, defined by valor, and remembered with honor.

Medal of Honor Citation:

Sergeant William Shemin distinguished himself by extraordinary acts of heroism at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Rifleman with G Company, 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, 4th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy on the Vesle River, near Bazoches, France, from August 7 to August 9, 1918.

Sergeant Shemin, upon three different occasions, left cover and crossed an open space of 150 yards, repeatedly exposing himself to heavy machine-gun and rifle fire, to rescue wounded. After officers and senior noncommissioned officers had become casualties, Sergeant Shemin took command of the platoon and displayed great initiative under fire until wounded on August 9.

Sergeant Shemin’s extraordinary heroism and selflessness, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, G Company, 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, and the United States Army.