Michael J. Perkins

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Private First Class Michael J. Perkins (ASN: 60527), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 27 October 1918, while serving with Company D, 101st Infantry, 26th Division, in action at Belleu Bois, France. Private First Class Perkins voluntarily and alone, crawled to a German “pill box” machinegun emplacement, from which grenades were being thrown at his platoon. Awaiting his opportunity, when the door was again opened and another grenade thrown, he threw a bomb inside, bursting the door open, and then, drawing his trench knife, rushed into the emplacement. In a hand-to-hand struggle he killed or wounded several of the occupants and captured about 25 prisoners, at the same time silencing seven machineguns.