Otto W. Clemens was born on August 31, 1922. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a First Lieutenant in Company E, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. On July 11, 1943, 1LT Clemens' Company E was in action against German forces near Gela, Sicily. Seeing an abandoned anti-tank gun in an exposed position, 1LT Clemens, refusing to order a subordinate to almost certain death, ran across 200 yards of shell swept ground, seized the gun, swung it into position, and opened fire on the enemy. 1LT Clemens fired and reloaded in the face of concentrated enemy artillery and machine gun attack. He only stopped one time and just long enough to field strip the block of his weapon when it jammed. In the face of determined enemy attempts to silence him, his efforts proved to be an important factor in enabling the 2nd Battalion to repel the enemy attack. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for initiative, courageous actions and extraordinary heroism. He was Killed in Action on June 6, 1944 during the invasion on Omaha Beach, France and is now buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, San Mateo County, California, USA
Source of information: www.findagrave.com, http://www.militaryhallofhonor.com/honoree-record.php?id=312417