Frank D . Peregory Frank D . Peregory was a United States Army technical sergeant who posthumously received the United States military ' s highest decoration for bravery in combat , the Medal of Honor , for his actions during World War II . In a previous incident , he also received the Soldier ' s Medal for rescuing another soldier from drowning . Peregory grew up in a large family in Virginia and although he was only 15 years old , in 1931 he lied about his age in order to join the Virginia Army National Guard . When the United States entered World War II in December 1941 his unit was activated and while performing training Peregory received the Soldiers medal for saving a fellow soldier from drowning . When the unit arrived for combat overseas they were assigned to the D - Day invasion of Normandy and Peregory again risked his life by single handedly attacking a fortified German machine - gun emplacement , killing several and taking more than 30 prisoners . For his actions during the battle he later received the Medal of Honor . The Medal was presented posthumously however because on June 14 , 1944 , six days after the action for which he would received the Medal of Honor , he was killed . Early life and name . He was born April 10 , 1916 at Esmont , Virginia , and grew up in a large , impoverished , but tightly knit family in Albemarle County , Virginia . His family name is actually spelled “ Peregoy ” according to historian Richard H . Britton , although most references spell his name “ Peregory . ” His birth year is also typically given erroneously as 1915 , possibly because he originally lied about his age at enlistment . Military career . In 1931 he joined the Virginia National Guard at Charlottesville which is the county seat of Albemarle . Because Peregoy was only fifteen at the time , he lied about his year of birth , and this misinformation became part of his permanent record along with the presumably accidental misspelling of his surname . Upon the entrance of the United States into World War II , Peregoy ' s Guard unit became Company K of the 116th Infantry , 29th Infantry Division and they were inducted into federal service February 3 , 1941 . As a member of the 29th Division Peregory moved with it to Fort Meade and the unit began training for participation in the war . During a training exercise in North Carolina before being sent overseas , Peregoy rescued a drowning comrade . In recognition of his action and disregard of danger to himself , he was awarded the Soldier ' s Medal , the highest non combat award that a soldier can receive for saving a life . The 29th was then sent overseas to train in Scotland and England for the next two years . The 29th was selected along with the Regular Army ' s 1st Infantry Division to attack one of five fortified beaches , codenamed " Omaha , " . Medal of Honor action . After the assault had been postponed several times , on June 6 , 1944 , Peregoy landed with the 116th at Omaha Beach as part of the Normandy Invasion , also known as D - Day . His unit was among the first wave of troops to assault the beach but despite fierce enemy resistance that included heavy shelling and machine gun fire , his unit made its way to the town of Grandcampe , by June 8 . While his unit advanced on the German defenses the leading elements of his unit began receiving fire from German forces . The Germans were firmly entrenched on high ground overlooking the town and were able to inflict severe damage to allied forces as they approached . Numerous attempts to neutralize the enemy position by supporting artillery and tank fire had proved ineffective until Technical Sergeant Peregory , risked his own life by advanced up the hill under heavy enemy fire . He worked his way to the crest of the hill where he discovered an entrenchment leading to the main enemy fortifications 200 yards away . Without hesitating , he leaped into the trench and moved toward the emplacement . When he encountered a squad of enemy riflemen , he attacked them with hand grenades and his bayonet , killed 8 and forced 3 to surrender . He then continued along the trench , forcing more than 32 German soldiers to surrender , including the machine gunners . This action opened the way for the leading elements of the battalion allowing them to advance and secure its objective . For his actions Peregory was recommended and approved for the Medal of Honor . His Medal of Honor citation reads : Citation : On 8 June 1944 , the 3d Battalion of the 116th Infantry was advancing on the strongly held German defenses at Grandcamp - Maisy , France , when the leading elements were suddenly halted by decimating machine gun fire from a firmly entrenched enemy force on the high ground overlooking the town . After numerous attempts to neutralize the enemy position by supporting artillery and tank fire had proved ineffective , T / Sgt . Peregory , on his own initiative , advanced up the hill under withering fire , and worked his way to the crest where he discovered an entrenchment leading to the main enemy fortifications 200 yards away . Without hesitating , he leaped into the trench and moved toward the emplacement . Encountering a squad of enemy riflemen , he fearlessly attacked them with hand grenades and bayonet , killed 8 and forced 3 to surrender . Continuing along the trench , he single - handedly forced the surrender of 32 more riflemen , captured the machine gunners , and opened the way for the leading elements of the battalion to advance and secure its objective . The extraordinary gallantry and aggressiveness displayed by T / Sgt . Peregory are exemplary of the highest tradition of the armed forces . Death and burial . Six days later , Peregory was killed while fighting in the hedgerows . He is buried at the American Battle Monuments Cemetery in Normandy also known as Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville - sur - Mer Basse - Normandie Region , France . His grave can be found in section G , row 21 , grave 7 . Honors . A building complex at Fort Pickett in Virginia was dedicated to Peregoy in 1984 . In June 2010 a rededication ceremony was held and a new monument was unveiled with descriptions of his actions regarding the Medal of Honor and the Soldiers Medal . The Frank D . Peregory United States Army Reserve Center , located in Charlottesville , Virginia is named in his honor as well as the Frank D . Peregory Fitness Center located in Camp McGovern Bosnia .