John H. Pruitt

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John Henry Pruitt
October 4, 1896 - October 4, 1918
Corporal John H. Pruitt, Medal of Honor recipient
Place of birth	Fadeville, Arkansas
Place of death	KIA at Blanc Mont Ridge, France
Allegiance	USMC
Years of service	1917-1918
Rank	Corporal
Unit	6th Marine Regiment
Battles/wars	Battle of Chateau-Thierry Battle of Belleau Wood
Awards	Medal of Honor Army Medal of Honor Navy Croix de Guerre Silver Star Purple Heart

John Henry Pruitt (4 October 1896 – 4 October 1918) was a United States Marine during World War I and a posthumous Medal of Honor recipient.

Born in Fadeville, Arkansas, Pruitt was a corporal in the Marine Corps, he attacked and captured two enemy machine guns, and later captured forty of the enemy. Killed by shell-fire, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery at on 4 October 1918 at Blanc Mont Ridge, France.

[edit] Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to

CORPORAL JOHN HENRY PRUITT
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy at Blanc Mont Ridge, France, October 3, 1918. Corporal Pruitt single-handed attacked two machine-guns, capturing them and killing two of the enemy. He then captured 40 prisoners in a dugout nearby. This gallant soldier was killed soon afterward by shell-fire while he was sniping at the enemy.

For the President,

JOSEPHUS DANIELS
Secretary of the Navy

[edit] Honors

USS Pruitt (DD-347/AG-101) was named for him.
Listed in Pershing's 100
On March 10, 2004, The family of Cprl. Pruitt turned over to the Marine Corps all medals, citations and artifacts for display at the museum at Quanitco, VA.

[edit] References

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

• Corporal John Henry Pruitt, USMC, Who's Who in Marine Corps History, History Division, United States Marine Corps.
• Medal of Honor citation