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an armed enemy while serving with
Company B, 91st Reconnaissance Squadron, 2d Armored Division. On ** May 1943, near ***, Tunisia, Staff Sergeant Kisters made several individual reconnaissance missions, returning each time with timely and valuable information concerning location of artillery emplacements. Alone, and while subjected to enemy heavy artillery and concentrated machine gun fire, and individual rifle fire, Staff Sergeant Kisters crept forward on an artillery piece which was firing on our forces near ***. By the effective use of his hand grenades and rifle, Staff Sergeant Kisters wiped out the entire crew. The extraordinary heroism, initiative, and devotion to duty with complete disregard for his own welfare displayed by Staff Sergeant Kisters reflect great credit upon himself and the military service, and are deserving of the highest praise.
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and the officer, unaided and in the face of intense small arms fire, advanced on the nearest machinegun emplacement and succeeded in capturing the gun and its crew of 4. Although the greater part of the remaining small arms fire was now directed on the captured machinegun position, Sgt. Kisters voluntarily advanced alone toward the second gun emplacement. While creeping forward, he was struck 5 times by enemy bullets, receiving wounds in both legs and his right arm. Despite the wounds, he continued to advance on the enemy, and captured the second machinegun after killing 3 of its crew and forcing the fourth member to flee. The courage of this soldier and his unhesitating willingness to sacrifice his life, if necessary, served as an inspiration to the command.
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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 Staff Sergeant Gerry Herman Kisters (ASN: 35150942), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against
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On 31 July 1943, near
Gagliano, Sicily, a detachment of 1 officer and 9 enlisted men, including Sgt. Kisters, advancing ahead of the leading elements of U.S. troops to fill a large crater in the only available vehicle route through Gagliano, was taken under fire by 2 enemy machineguns. Sgt. Kisters
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By 1942 Kisters's unit, formerly attached to the 1st
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in Kansas and reached the rank of first lieutenant. After the war he reopened his fur shop and became a successful businessman.
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Kisters was sent back to the U.S. and spent months recovering from his injuries. After his recovery he taught reconnaissance at
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America's Heroes: Medal of Honor
Recipients from the Civil War to Afghanistan, ed. James Willbanks, ABC-CLIO, 2011, p. 171-3
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soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the
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http://www.indianamilitary.org/YANK/1944-04-21%20Yank%20Magazine.pdf
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Kisters' entry, Army website listing of Medal of Honor recipients
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He died at age 67 and was buried at Rose Hill
Cemetery in
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Kisters in his dress uniform with medals on full display
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https://history.army.mil/html/moh/wwII-g-l.html#KISTERS
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United States Army Medal of Honor recipient (1919-1986)
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By July 31, 1943, Kisters's unit was attached to the
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303:List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
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390:"Medal of Honor recipients - World War II (GāL)"
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461:World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor
398:United States Army Center of Military History
325:United States Army Center of Military History
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441:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
436:United States Army personnel of World War II
172:(March 2, 1919 – May 11, 1986) was a
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341:"Valor awards for Gerry Herman Kisters"
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298:List of Medal of Honor recipients
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81:Rose Hill Cemetery (Bloomington)
400:. June 8, 2009. Archived from
132:91st Reconnaissance Squadron,
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451:United States Army officers
221:Distinguished Service Cross
158:Distinguished Service Cross
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238:Allied invasion of Sicily
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91:United States of America
262:Medal of Honor citation
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321:public domain material
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369:Yank, the Army Weekly
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180:, for his actions in
256:Bloomington, Indiana
240:. On that day, near
234:2nd Armored Division
198:Bloomington, Indiana
192:Kisters was born in
170:Gerry Herman Kisters
134:2nd Armored Division
71:Bloomington, Indiana
471:Burials in Indiana
202:Vincennes, Indiana
174:United States Army
103:United States Army
343:. Military Times.
217:Tunisian campaign
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420:Categories
408:2008-01-22
309:References
249:Fort Riley
213:Casablanca
87:Allegiance
47:1919-03-02
188:Biography
276:See also
124:35150942
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150:Awards
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56:, Utah
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109:Rank
61:Died
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
