Pvt. Fred Masch, Company C, 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. Killed in Action on 21 July 1918 at Berzy-le-Sac, France.

Pvt. Masch joined the Wisconsin National Guard on 15 July 1917 from Milton, WI. At the time of his enlistment, he was 20 years old. He was assigned to Company C, 28th Infantry Regiment on 23 March 1918 and served with them until his death. Before he was killed in action, Pvt. Masch participated in engagements at Cantigny and the Marne.

On 21 July 1918, Company C formed under enemy observation at 8:30 AM. At 10:50 AM, the 28th Infantry Regiment passed through Berzy-le-Sec and had advanced to the railroad. The 28th Infantry Regiment had taken its final objective and had only 280 men left in its ranks, 190 men being from the 1st Battalion. These men held onto their positions while German artillery kept up an almost continuous bombardment. It was during this action that Pvt. Masch lost his life.

He was awarded a citation of Gallantry in General Order #1, 1920 from the First Division Headquarters. These were all converted to Silver Star Medals when the medal was created in 1932. the medals of Pvt. Masch are very unique in that the Purple Heart was never authorized for those killed in action during World War I. It was only authorized for those wounded in action, and was only made a posthumous award in 1942 retroactive to 7 December 1941. Someone in Pvt. Masch's family applied for the awards in 1942 and they were awarded at this time. The engraving and medal variations indicate that they were issued in 1942 or 1943.

He is buried at the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery in France.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, Vida L. Long