Search Results - McGraw, Francis

Francis X. McGraw

Francis Xavier McGraw (April 29, 1918 – November 19, 1944) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Battle of Hürtgen Forest in World War II.

McGraw joined the Army from Camden, New Jersey, and by November 19, 1944, was serving as a private first class in Company H, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. At that time, the 26th Regiment was fighting in the Battle of Hurtgen Forest, a grueling dense-forest offensive near the German-Belgian border. During a German counterattack on that day, near Schevenhütte, Germany, he operated his machine gun despite intense enemy fire and left cover in order to retrieve more ammunition. Although wounded, he continued to fire his machine gun until again running out of ammunition. He then engaged the German troops with a carbine, but was subsequently killed. For these gallant actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on October 25, 1945.

McGraw, aged 26 at his death, was buried at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Henri-Chapelle, Belgium. The McGraw Kaserne in Munich has been named after him. Provided by Wikipedia