Oskar E. Youngdahl
Home Town: Red Wing, MN
Distinguished Service Cross
World War I
U.S. Army
General Orders No. No. 55, W.D., 1920
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Oskar E. Youngdahl, Captain, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near St. Etienne-a- Arnes, France, October 6, 1918. Armed with a rifle, Captain Youngdahl went through a heavy machine-gun fire alone to a position from which he could fire upon German machine-gunners who were pouring a deadly fire into the flank of his company. He killed one of the gunners and captured four others, but was severely wounded himself. He stayed with his company until it had carried its objective, but died in the hospital of his wounds two days later.
