| Wilbur E. Colyer | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 5, 1898 |
| Died | October 10, 1918 (aged 20) |
| Place of birth | Brooklyn, New York |
| Place of burial | Cypress Hills National Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1917 - 1918 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | Company A, 1st Engineer Regiment, 1st Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
Wilbur E. Colyer (March 5, 1898 – October 10, 1918) was an American soldier serving in the U.S. Army during World War I who received the Medal of Honor for bravery.
Biography[]
Colyer was born March 5, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York and after enlisting in the Army in 1917[1] was sent to France to fight in World War I.[2] He died October 10, 1918 and is buried in Cypress Hills National Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York. His grave can be found in section 2, grave 8588.[3]
Medal of Honor citation[]
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company A, 1st Engineers, 1st Division. Place and date: Near Verdun, France, 9 October 1918. Entered service at: South Ozone, Long Island, N.Y. Birth: Brooklyn, N.Y. G.O. No.: 20, W.D., 1919.
Citation:
Volunteering with 2 other soldiers to locate machinegun nests, Sgt. Colyer advanced on the hostile positions to a point where he was half surrounded by the nests, which were in ambush. He killed the gunner of one gun with a captured German grenade and then turned this gun on the other nests silencing all of them before he returned to his platoon. He was later killed in action.[2]
Remembrance[]
On October 9, 2013, the 1st Engineer Battalion hosted a "mud run," modeled after the popular Tough Mudder, that included ruck marching, an obstacle course, and a crawl through a muddy pit. The course was named the "SGT Wilbur E. Colyer Diehard Challenge" in memory of SGT Wilbur.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Service Profile
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Medal of Honor recipients". World War I. United States Army Center of Military History. June 8, 2009. http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/worldwari.html. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
- ↑ "Wilbur E. Colyer". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9228. Retrieved July 15, 2009-07-15.
The original article can be found at Wilbur E. Colyer and the edit history here.