Lawrence Georgeatos

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Lawrence Georgeatos (39140505), Private First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with Company K, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division, in action against enemy forces on 4 August 1944, in France. On that date, Company K was pinned down for a period of four hours by intense machine gun and rifle fire from a well defended hedgerow. When an advance was attempted, two scouts were severely wounded and were unable to crawl back to safety. Private First Class Georgeatos, voluntarily and courageously left his covered position, passed through heavy enemy artillery and mortar fire, hurdled a hedge bank and personally carried each of the wounded men to the sheltered side of the hedgerow. On another occasion, Private First Class Georgeatos, with complete disregard for his own safety, crawled through a hedgerow and inched his way toward a hostile machine gun position. When he came within throwing distance, he hurled a grenade over the hedgerow. After it exploded, he jumped over the hedgerow firing his automatic rifle at point blank range into the gun position, killing five Germans, but was fatally wounded himself. By his personal valor, courage and self-sacrificing devotion to duty, Private First Class Georgeatos exemplified the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflected great credit upon himself, the 2d Infantry Division, and the United States Army.