Staff Sgt. Jesse R. Drowley: Medal of Honor recipient


Destroyed pillboxes, rescued two men, shot in chest and eye

When Jesse was assigned to the Americal Division in 1944 on the jungle island of Bouganville, he saw three soldiers from his company get badly wounded, cut down by machine gun fire. He rushed out to save them into heavy enemy fire. Pulling two of them to safety, he went back for the third but saw a hidden enemy pillbox. He ran to a nearby American tank, grabbed a submachine gun and directed the tank to the pillbox to destroy it, while riding on the top of the tank. In the process he was shot twice: once in the chest and once in the eye. Wounded, he kept directing the tank until another hidden pillbox was eliminated. Once finished destroying the pillboxes, he walked himself to a first aid station where he was told he would be court-martialed for desertion. After being treated, the mistake was realized and he was recommended for the Medal of Honor, which was presented to him by President FDR. He passed away in 1996 in Spokane, Washington at age 76.

We are not the descendants of fearful men. Valor is in you. Set it free.

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