William Sawelson - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

William Sawelson was a sergeant in the U.S. Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. He received the Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

for valor in combat. The medal was posthumously presented to his father Jacob L. Sawelson at Governors Island

Governors Island

Governors Island is a island in Upper New York Bay, approximately one-half mile from the southern tip of Manhattan Island and separated from Brooklyn by Buttermilk Channel. It is legally part of the borough of Manhattan in New York City...

.

He is buried at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial

Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial

The Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War I cemetery in France. It is located east of the village of Romagne-sous-Montfaucon in Meuse. The cemetery contains the largest number of American military dead in Europe , most of whom lost their lives during the Meuse-Argonne...

east of the village of Romagne-sous-Montfaucon

Romagne-sous-Montfaucon

Romagne-sous-Montfaucon is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-See also:The nearby U.S cemetery is the largest for the First World War.*Communes of the Meuse department...

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company M, 312th Infantry, 78th Division.
Place and date: At Grand-Pre, France, October 26, 1918.
Entered service at: Harrison, N.J.
Born: August 5, 1895, Newark, N.J.
General Orders No.16, War Department, January 22, 1919.

Citation:

Hearing a wounded man in a shell hole some distance away calling for water, Sgt. Sawelson, upon his own initiative, left shelter and crawled through heavy machinegun fire to where the man lay, giving him what water he had in his canteen. He then went back to his own shell hole, obtained more water, and was returning to the wounded man when he was killed by a machinegun bullet.