Samuel M. Sampler

Samuel M. Sampler
Born (1895-01-27)January 27, 1895
Decatur, Texas
Died November 19, 1979(1979-11-19) (aged 84)
Place of burial Fort Myers Memorial Gardens, Fort Myers, Florida
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Rank Corporal
Unit 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Division
Battles/wars World War I
Awards Medal of Honor

Samuel M. Sampler (January 27, 1895 – November 19, 1979) was a United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War I.

Biography

Born on January 27, 1895, in Decatur, Texas,[1] Sampler was raised in Audubon, New Jersey.[2] He enlisted in the Army from Altus, Oklahoma, and served in Europe as a corporal with Company H of the 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Division. During an attack near Saint-Étienne-à-Arnes, France, on October 8, 1918, his company's advance was halted and they took heavy casualties from a German machine gun nest. Sampler single-handedly charged the hostile position and silenced it with hand grenades, killing two German soldiers and capturing 28. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor the next year, in 1919.[3]

Sampler's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

His company having suffered severe casualties during an advance under machinegun fire, was finally stopped. Cpl. Sampler detected the position of the enemy machineguns on an elevation. Armed with German handgrenades, which he had picked up, he left the line and rushed forward in the face of heavy fire until he was near the hostile nest, where he grenaded the position. His third grenade landed among the enemy, killing 2, silencing the machineguns, and causing the surrender of 28 Germans, whom he sent to the rear as prisoners. As a result of his act the company was immediately enabled to resume the advance.[3]

Sampler died at age 84 on November 19, 1979, and was buried at Fort Myers Memorial Gardens in Fort Myers, Florida.[1][4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Samuel M. Sampler". Hall of Valor. Military Times. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  2. ↑ Staff. "Audubon school district prides itself on tradition", Courier Post, September 25, 2003. Accessed May 30, 2013. "Today's students know the stories of Edward C. Benfold and Nelson Brittin, heroes killed in the Korean War who have naval ships named after them, and Samuel M. Sampler, who served during World War I."
  3. 1 2 "Medal of Honor Recipients - World War I". Medal of Honor Citations. United States Army Center of Military History. December 3, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Connie Mack observes Memorial Day in Fort Myers". Fort Myers, Florida: WINK-TV. May 30, 2011. Archived from the original on May 30, 2011.
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