Six Yanks given British medals
Brigadier of 29th Division decorated with DSO
U.S. 1st Army HQ, France (UP) – (July 7)
Over the hill where the guns were rumbling in battle, the sergeant was “otherwise occupied” and unable to be present when Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgomery pinned high British decorations on the chests of six Americans ranging from sergeant to major general.
But he arrived out of breath at the last minute and a special ceremony was staged in his honor before a battery of news cameras. The sergeant was Asa C. Ricks of Pharr, Texas, and he received the Military Medal of gallantry on D-Day, when he took command of his company after all officers had been killed or wounded, and defended a bridge.
Brigadier gets medal
Gen. Montgomery had already pinned the Military Medal on Sgt. Philip Streczyk of New Brunswick, New Jersey, who received the Distinguished Service Order the other day from Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower for this single-handed capture of a German machine-gun nest, an officer and 21 men on June 6.
Others and their decorations were: Maj. Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor (101st Airborne Division) of Arlington, Virginia, DSO for “fearless leadership” in the river crossing which outflanked Carentan.
A brigadier general of the 29th Infantry Division, DSO for personally leading a division in assault near Vierville.
A colonel, DSO for leading the assault at Vierville-sur-Mer inland beyond the beach under heavy fire.
Others unable to appear
Another colonel, DSO for total disregard of his own safety and calmness in the face of heavy enemy fire near Fréville.
Capt. Sam H. Ball Jr., of Texarkana, Texas, for leadership of a combat engineer battalion which cleared underwater obstacles near Vierville with heavy casualties, DSO.
These also received decorations but were unable to appear for the ceremony: Sgt. Leonard G. Lomell of Point Pleasant, New Jersey (who captured a machine-gun nest on D-Day, Military Medal), Infantry Capt. Richard J. O’Malley (Military Cross for assault on Montebourg) and Sgt. Norman Day (Distinguished Service Medal for great courage in getting vehicles ashore).