Leonard DeWitt served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and retired as a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel.
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Leonard DeWitt served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and retired as a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel.
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The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Sergeant Leonard C. DeWitt (ASN: 20933467), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company I, 3d Battalion, 162d Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Division, near Boise, New Guinea, on 28 July 1943. When an infantry company encountered a large enemy force in a well-organized perimeter and took a stand on top of a ridge to hold the ground gained until reinforcements arrived, Sergeant DeWitt voluntarily carried ammunition and grenades to the besieged force, despite the fact that the enemy, following an artillery barrage, had launched a machine gun attack. He found two wounded men in a position adjacent to the attacked area, and after aiding in evacuating them, returned to prevent a possible enemy break-through. Enemy troops were massed in a gully only five yards from his position. He directed automatic rifle fire a the enemy position until his ammunition was exhausted, then seized a submachine gun and stood fully exposed on the brink of the gully, firing with deadly accuracy and inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. When this ammunition was also exhausted, he threw his remaining grenades. Slipping over the edge of the gully and colliding with an enemy soldier, he threw his helmet, injured the soldier and demoralized enemy troops in the vicinity. By his daring, Sergeant DeWitt forestalled an enemy break-through and prevented heavier casualties and possible loss of the position.