JOHNSTON, HAROLD I. - Medal of Honor Recipient
Rank and organization: Sergeant (then Private First Class), U.S. Army,
Company A, 356th Infantry, 89th Division. Place and date: Near Pouilly,
France, 9 November 1918. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Birth: Kendell,
Kans. C O. No.: 20, W.D., 1919. Citation: When information was desired
as to the enemy's position on the opposite side of the Meuse River, Sgt.
Johnston, with another soldier, volunteered without hesitation and swam
the river to reconnoiter the exact location of the enemy. He succeeded
in reaching the opposite bank, despite the evident determination of the
enemy to prevent a crossing. Having obtained his information, he again
entered the water for his return. This was accomplished after a severe
struggle which so exhausted him that he had to be assisted from the water,
after which he rendered his report of the exploit.
This data was extracted from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863-1973 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1973)
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