Raymond O . Beaudoin Raymond Ovila Beaudoin ( July 15 , 1918 – April 6 , 1945 ) was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military ' s highest decoration , the Medal of Honor , for his actions in World War II . Biography . Beaudoin was born in Holyoke , Massachusetts , and was serving as a first lieutenant in the U . S . Army near Hamelin , Germany , on April 6 , 1945 . He was leading his platoon over open ground when all were pinned down by a devastating curtain of fire from enemy machineguns and automatic weapons . By rotating his men in firing position he enabled his platoon to dig in against the numerically superior force and inflict heavy casualties on it . However , enemy reinforcements made the platoon ’ s position precarious . In order to allow a runner to secure help , Lieutenant Beaudoin decided to make a one - man charge on the most dangerous sniper nest some away . Despite a barrage of rifle and bazooka fire he reached the nest and wiped out three of its inhabitants , the fourth falling from covering fire from the American platoon . Continuing the attack , Lieutenant Beaudoin charged a dugout , but was killed by a blast of machinegun fire . The runner was able to secure help , however ; and the platoon was saved . For the supreme sacrifice which he made in saving the lives of the men under him , Lieutenant Beaudoin was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor . Medal of Honor citation . Rank and organization : First Lieutenant , U . S . Army , Company F , 119th Infantry , 30th Infantry Division . Place and date : Hamelin , Germany , 6 April 1945 . Entered service at : Holyoke , Mass . Birth : Holyoke , Mass . G . O . No . : 9 , 25 January 1946 . Citation : He was leading the 2d Platoon of Company F over flat , open terrain to Hamelin , Germany , when the enemy went into action with machineguns and automatic weapons , laying down a devastating curtain of fire which pinned his unit to the ground . By rotating men in firing positions he made it possible for his entire platoon to dig in , defying all the while the murderous enemy fire to encourage his men and to distribute ammunition . He then dug in himself at the most advanced position , where he kept up a steady fire , killing 6 hostile soldiers , and directing his men in inflicting heavy casualties on the numerically superior opposing force . Despite these defensive measures , however , the position of the platoon became more precarious , for the enemy had brought up strong reinforcements and was preparing a counterattack . Three men , sent back at intervals to obtain ammunition and reinforcements , were killed by sniper fire . To relieve his command from the desperate situation , 1st Lt . Beaudoin decided to make a l - man attack on the most damaging enemy sniper nest 90 yards to the right flank , and thereby divert attention from the runner who would attempt to pierce the enemy ' s barrier of bullets and secure help . Crawling over completely exposed ground , he relentlessly advanced , undeterred by 8 rounds of bazooka fire which threw mud and stones over him or by rifle fire which ripped his uniform . Ten yards from the enemy position he stood up and charged . At point - blank range he shot and killed 2 occupants of the nest ; a third , who tried to bayonet him , he overpowered and killed with the butt of his carbine ; and the fourth adversary was cut down by the platoon ' s rifle fire as he attempted to flee . He continued his attack by running toward a dugout , but there he was struck and killed by a burst from a machinegun . By his intrepidity , great fighting skill , and supreme devotion to his responsibility for the well - being of his platoon , 1st Lt . Beaudoin single - handedly accomplished a mission that enabled a messenger to secure help which saved the stricken unit and made possible the decisive defeat of the German forces .