Jake Allex

Aleksa Mandušić (Serbian Cyrillic: Алекса Мандушић), or Jake Allex (July 13, 1887 – August 28, 1959), was a Serbian American soldier who received the Medal of Honor for his service in the U.S. Army during World War I.

Military service
Allex entered the US Army in Chicago, Illinois, and returned there following World War I, with the rank of Sergeant. While in the Army he served in Company H, 131st Infantry, 33rd Infantry Division. On August 9, 1918, near Chippilly Ridge, France, when finding all of their officers either wounded or killed and his platoon under heavy attack from the opposing German forces, Allex, a Corporal, took command. Leading his platoon forward toward the machine gun nest, his platoon was able to overwhelm the opposition. Allex alone killed five enemy soldiers, and when his bayonet broke, he used the butt of his rifle in close quarters combat, taking fifteen German prisoners.

Little is known about his life following the First World War.

He died August 28, 1959 in a Veterans Administration hospital in Chicago. He was buried in Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Saint Sava cemetery in Libertyville, Illinois. He is praised with the highest honors and he is an inspiration to all.

Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company H, 131st Infantry, 33d Division. Place and date: At Chippilly Ridge, France, August 9, 1918. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Born: July 13, 1887, Prizren, Kosovo. G.O. No.: 44, W.D., 1919.

Citation:

"At a critical point in the action, when all the officers with his platoon had become casualties, Corporal. Allex took command of the platoon and led it forward until the advance was stopped by fire from a machinegun nest. He then advanced alone for about 30 yards in the face of intense fire and attacked the nest. With his bayonet he killed 5 of the enemy, and when it was broken, used the butt of his rifle, capturing 15 prisoners."