Clayton K. Slack
Clayton K. Slack | |
|---|---|
 Clayton Slack | |
| Born | February 23, 1896 Plover, Wisconsin |
| Died | March 1, 1976 (aged 80) |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Army |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | Company D, 124th Machine Gun Battalion, 33d Division |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Medal of Honor Silver Star Purple Heart |
Clayton Kirk Slack (February 23, 1896 – March 1, 1976) was a soldier in the United States Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War I.
Biography
Slack was born in Plover, Wisconsin on February 23, 1896.[1][2]
Clayton Slack joined the United States Army from Madison, Wisconsin in September 1917.[3] He was assigned to the 33rd Division. He volunteered for machine gun duty and served with the Company D, 124th Machine Gun Battalion, 33rd Division.[4]
As a Private, he was cited for single-handedly clearing out a German machine gun nest resulting in 10 prisoners and the capture of 2 machine-guns on October 8, 1918, in the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the biggest battle of World War I involving American troops.[1]
Slack noticed several German troops and charged at them with his rifle and bayonet telling them to "put their hands up".[1] The German soldiers thinking that he was at the lead of a patrol, surrendered. Slack's actions were credited with saving his unit heavy casualties.[1][2]
After the war, Slack toured the United States with war films and by the time of his death had met six presidents. In 1963, president John F Kennedy hosted a reunion of Medal of Honor recipients at the White House for the 100th anniversary of the first presentation of the Medal.[1] Slack attended the function along with a number of other Medal of Honor recipients.[1]
He died March 1, 1976 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Virginia.[1] His grave can be found in section 34, lot 59.[1]
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company D, 124th Machine Gun Battalion, 33d Division. Place and date: Near Consenvoye, France, 8 October 1918. Entered service at: Madison, Wis. Born: 23 February 1896, Plover, Wis. G.O. No.: 16, W.D., 1919.
Citation:
Observing German soldiers under cover 50 yards away on the left flank, Pvt. Slack, upon his own initiative, rushed them with his rifle and, single-handed, captured 10 prisoners and 2 heavy-type machineguns, thus saving his company and neighboring organizations from heavy casualties.[5]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Patterson, Michael Robert. "Clayton Kirk Slack, Private, United States Army". www.arlingtoncemetery.net.
- ^ a b "Clayton Slack - Recipient - Military Times Hall Of Valor". valor.militarytimes.com.
- ^ Alan E. Kent (Winter 1952–53). "Wisconsin and the Medal of Honor". Wisconsin Magazine of History. 36 (2): 104–112.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) - ^ Clayton Slack: Private United States Army Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient in World War I. Stevens Point, Wis.: Portage County Historical Society. p. 6. OCLC 1020252731.
- ^ "SLACK, CLAYTON K." Army of Medal of Honor website. 2009-08-03. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
External links
- "Clayton K. Slack". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved 2009-08-18.