On October 1, 1918, near St. Souplet, France, Robert Lester Blackwell's unit, Company K, 19th Infantry, 30th Division, was cut off and faced destruction. After the officer in charge sent one man for help and he was killed, then sent another and he was killed, volunteers were called for. Lester tried to get through and lost his life. For this, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.