Military
Born in Powhatan County on 18 Oct. 1897, Earle D. Gregory enlisted in 1914 at Chase City in the Virginia Volunteers, the Virginia National Guard. He served in the 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, in World War I. On the first day of combat near Verdun, France, on 8 Oct. 1918, heavy German machine-gun fire stalled the division's attack. Saying, "I will get them," Gregory seized a rifle and trench-mortar shell, moved ahead of his platoon, and singlehandedly captured a machine gun, a howitzer, and 22 Germans. He became the only Virginian awarded the Medal of Honor during World War I. Gregory died in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on 6 Jan. 1972.
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Chase City, Virginia · United States
