Harold L. Turner

Harold Leo Turner (May 5, 1898 – March 12, 1938) was a United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor during World War I.

Harold L. Turner
Birth nameHarold Leo Turner
Born(1898-05-05)May 5, 1898
Aurora, Missouri
DiedMarch 12, 1938(1938-03-12) (aged 39)
Caddo Lake, Texas
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army
RankSergeant
Service number1490302
UnitCompany F, 142nd Infantry, 36th Division
Battles/warsWorld War I
AwardsMedal of Honor

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and Organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company F, 142d Infantry, 36th Division. Place and Date: Near St. Etienne, France, 8 October 1918. Entered Service At: Seminole, Okla. Born: 5 May 1898, Aurora, Mo. G. O. No.: 59, W.D., 1919.

Citation:

After his platoon had started the attack Cpl. Turner assisted in organizing a platoon consisting of the battalion scouts, runners, and a detachment of Signal Corps. As second in command of this platoon he fearlessly led them forward through heavy enemy fire, continually encouraging the men. Later he encountered deadly machinegun fire which reduced the strength of his command to but 4 men, and these were obliged to take shelter. The enemy machinegun emplacement, 25 yards distant, kept up a continual fire from 4 machineguns. After the fire had shifted momentarily, Cpl. Turner rushed forward with fixed bayonet and charged the position alone capturing the strong point with a complement of 50 Germans and 1 machineguns. His remarkable display of courage and fearlessness was instrumental in destroying the strong point, the fire from which had blocked the advance of his company.[1]

Later life

After the war, Turner worked as a banker in Seminole, Oklahoma, and was an American Legion organizer. He drowned while fishing at Caddo Lake near Kilgore, Texas in March 1938.[2] He is buried at the Little Cemetery in Little, Oklahoma.[3]

See also

References
  1. "Medal of Honor recipients: World War I". United States Army Center of Military History. June 8, 2009. Archived from the original on October 18, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  2. "State World War hero Will Be Buried at Shawnee Thursday". The Oklahoma News. March 15, 1938. p. 2. Retrieved July 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Little Cemetery". Findagrave.com. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
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