Moving through an intense concentration of automatic weapons, mortar and artillery fire, he carried his machine gun to an exposed vantage point and covered a route of withdrawal with a heavy volume of devastating fire. Leading his comrades through the hostile lines, he repeatedly exposed himself to disperse enemy blocking attempts and to provide covering fire for the evacuation of the wounded. Private MITCHELL”S exemplary courage, aggressive spirit and selfless devotion to duty reflect the highest credit on himself, his unit and the American soldier. Entered the military service from Texas.
Your dad was telling me part of Mr. Mitchell's story a couple of days ago. He DIDN'T say it all happened when he was still a private. Wow! I'm not so sure that heroes are "made" by training or more that they just rise in the face of impossible circumstance because they have a rare inner strength. Many men are trained but few are true heroes... Seems like that inner strength passes on to the next generations from what I've seen.
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