Date of Award: December 13, 1919
Conflict: World War I
Branch: U.S. Army
Pfc. Jesse Funk served with the U.S. Army, Company L, 354th Infantry, 89th Division and was stationed in France during World War I. During a battle near Bois-deBantheville, France, Funk accompanied Pfc. Charles Barger into the highly dangerous area known as “No Man’s Land,” and, as a combat medic, managed to rescue the lives of two wounded officers stranded in the open field.
Soldiers were only occasionally involved in a full-scale attack across No Man's Land, which were the grounds between two opposing forces, usually covered with barbed wire and the most exposed position in battle. However, men were sometimes ordered into No Man's Land to obtain information about the enemy, and in many cases were killed in the process. Funk fearlessly made two trips to pull the officers back to safety.
Citation: “Learning that two daylight patrols had been caught out in No Man's Land and were unable to return, Pfc. Funk and another stretcher bearer, upon their own initiative, made two trips 500 yards beyond our lines, under constant machinegun fire, and rescued two wounded officers.”
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Last Updated: September 22, 2022