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Marsh Woodall I

Name:
Woodall I Marsh
Rank:
Private
Serial Number:
Unit:
92nd Infantry Division
Date of Death:
1999-05-15
State:
Pennsylvania
Cemetery:
Allegheny Cemetery Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Plot:
Section: 62 Lot: 284-A Grave: 3
Row:
Grave:
Decoration:
SILVER STAR
Comments:

A soldier of the 92nd Division, Private Woodall I. Marsh, of Pittsburgh, Pa., was the first Black to win the Silver Star in Italy. He got it for taking 12 wounded paratroopers from the front lines to safety in his truck, after officers said it could not be done. Woodall I. Marsh HOME OF RECORD: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Silver Star AWARDED FOR ACTIONS DURING World War II Service: Army Division: 92d Infantry Division GENERAL ORDERS: Headquarters, VI Corps, General Orders No. 18 (1943) CITATION: Private Woodall I. Marsh, United States Army, was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action while serving as a Truck Driver with the 92d Infantry Division, in action against the enemy in Southern Italy in 1943. Told that the water was too deep for him to get through, he nevertheless proceeded to drive for three miles, under heavy artillery shelling, to reach the isolated paratroopers and rescue them. Often he had to stop to build his own road, or get the truck out of deep water and mud. His gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.