Samuel W. Pollard

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Samuel W. Pollard, Sergeant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with Company F, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, in action against enemy forces on 25 May 1944, in Cisterna di Littoria, Italy. Sergeant Pollard, an acting mortar section leader, on his own initiative organized a nine-man patrol to clean out sniper nests in Cisterna di Littoria. Instructing his men to cover him, he assaulted the first house with a Thompson sub-machine gun and took four prisoners. Sergeant Pollard then proceeded to search every house on the street, braving intense point-blank machine gun, machine pistol, and rifle fire each time he exposed himself. Aware that an enemy force was delivering heavy fire from the last house on the street, Sergeant Pollard nevertheless charged toward it across approximately twenty yards of open space, shooting his gun as he ran. With streams of bullets barely missing him, he entered through a large hole in the house and wounded three enemy soldiers downstairs. Putting a new magazine in his weapon, he fired through an open doorway, mounted a flight of stairs and captured twenty more of the enemy. After turning these prisoners over to guards, Sergeant Pollard led four men on another check of the street. As he came to the last house again, he observed three enemy soldiers descend a ditch and disappear into a large tunnel dug into the far bank. Going forward to the mouth of the tunnel alone, Sergeant Pollard fired into it and called on its occupants to surrender. One hundred and seven enemy soldiers filed out and surrendered, bringing Sergeant Pollard’s grand total of prisoners to one hundred thirty-four. Sergeant Pollard’s intrepid actions, personal bravery and zealous devotion to duty exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, the 3d Infantry Division, and the United States Army.