Medal of Honor: Phillip C. Katz, World War I, September 26, 1918
When his company was forced back under withering fire in France, one sergeant refused to leave a wounded comrade behind. Phillip Katz braved the storm alone to carry his brother to safet
September 26, 2025
Name: Phillip C. Katz
Rank: Sergeant
War: World War I
Date of Action: September 26, 1918
Unit: Company C, 363rd Infantry, 91st Division, U.S. Army
Accredited to: California
Summary of Action
During the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Sergeant Katz’s company withdrew to align with neighboring units, leaving behind a badly wounded soldier in the open ground now swept by German machine gun fire. Refusing to accept his comrade’s fate, Katz rose from cover and crossed two hundred yards of no man’s land alone. Through a hail of bullets, he reached the casualty, lifted him onto his back, and carried him all the way to safety. His courage under fire, motivated by pure loyalty to a fellow soldier, saved a life and set an example of extraordinary devotion to duty.
Medal of Honor Citation
After his company had withdrawn for a distance of 200 yards on a line with the units on its flanks, Sgt. Katz learned that one of his comrades had been left wounded in an exposed position at the point from which the withdrawal had taken place. Voluntarily crossing an area swept by heavy machinegun fire, he advanced to where the wounded soldier lay and carried him to a place of safety.
