- SURNAME
Mentch
- FORENAME
Charles Elmer
- UNIT
3 Raider Bn (Company M)
- RANK
Sergeant
- NUMBER
325288
- AWARD
Navy Cross
- PLACE
Bougainville 1943
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
born 15.12.1917, Absarokee, Montana, USA
wife Edna May (nee Bachert) Mentch (1919-2009) (married 1945)
resided Spirit Lake, Idaho
died 22.04.1922 (Aged 74), Pierce County, Washington, USA
buried Olga Doe Bay Cemetery, Orcas, San Juan County, Washington, USA
CITATION:
Navy Cross : The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Sergeant Charles E. Mentch (MCSN: 325288), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty while serving with Company M, THIRD Marine Raider Battalion, SECOND Marine Raider Regiment (Provisional), FIFTH Amphibious Corps, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands, on 29 November 1943. After an amphibious landing had been effected behind Japanese lines in the Empress August Bay Area, Sergeant Mentch was one of a group executing a strategic withdrawal from a section dominated by deeply entrenched Japanese machine-gun positions which were delivering a tremendous volume of concentrated fire. Informed that five wounded comrades lay helpless under the enemy's slashing barrage, Sergeant Mentch instantly turned back and, dashing into the zone of heaviest fire on the flank of the hostile position, quickly set up a light machine gun and raked the enemy lines with his enfilade fire. When the Japanese guns continued to pour forth their devastating fire, he grasped his weapon and ran forward to within twenty yards of the enemy line where he directed a shattering barrage against the hostile emplacements and succeeded in silencing the Japanese guns long enough to permit safe evacuation of the wounded Marines. His courageous initiative and bold tactics in the face of enemy fire, and his unselfish concern for the safety of others in a critical emergency, reflect the highest credit upon Sergeant Mentch and upon the United States Naval Service.
WEB LINKS:
https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/7634FINDAGRAVE:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/40788822/charles-elmer-mentch
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