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World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
First Lieutenant Carlton R. Rouh, US Marine Corps
Captain Carlton R. Rouh, who earned a field commission and the Silver Star Medal for gallantry on Guadalcanal, was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry in risking his life to save two comrades on Peleliu Island, 15 September 1944.
Rouh, a first lieutenant at the time, had been moving his mortar platoon near the top of a small coral ridge preparatory to digging in for the night, according to a field dispatch from Staff Sergeant James F. Moser, Jr., of Culpeper, Virginia, a Marine Corps Combat Correspondent. Rouh decided to inspect an apparently empty Japanese dugout before permitting his men to utilize it.
A few minutes before, a flame-throwing squad had blasted fire into the position. Near the entrance two of the enemy lay dead. Rouh could hear nothing. He stepped over the pair, and into the dark interior, his carbine ready. Creeping along the wall, he could see stores of supplies. He saw no life.
Suddenly a shot rang out, hitting the lieutenant in the left side. He stumbled back to his men outside. Several Japanese followed, throwing grenades. Fragments filled the air. One grenade landed close to the lieutenant and two of his men. There was no escape, for the Japanese had held it too long to be thrown back.
Despite his weakened condition, Rouh shoved his two comrades to the ground to save them from flying fragments. He dropped his carbine and dove for the grenade. He was down on his elbows and one knee when the grenade exploded. His abdomen and chest caught the blast, and he sank to the ground. None of his men was hit.
Still conscious, Rouh could half hear and see the rest of the fight. Tommy-guns spurted death at the Japanese. One of his men stood over him. Soon it was all over --- and Rouh's Marines had their cover for the night.
Rouh's body was pock-marked by the grenade blast. One steel fragment had passed through his left lung and lodged near his heart. Other fragments sprayed his chest, left side and left arm.
Still under enemy artillery and mortar fire, Rouh was given first aid by a passing doctor, and was carried back to an evacuation point. "That was a miserable trip back," he said. "I though they would get all the men with me. But somehow we made it."
Captain Rouh enlisted as a private one month after Pearl Harbor, and fought in three Pacific campaigns. At Guadalcanal, then a private, Rouh earned the Silver Star Medal "for carrying wounded out under fire until wounded himself". Moreover, "for outstanding leadership and initiative in combat", he was given a field commission as a second lieutenant while at a rest camp in Australia. He commanded a machine gun platoon during the New Britain campaign.
He is the son of Mrs. Adelheith Rouh of Lindenwold, New Jersey. He attended the Haddon Heights High School at Haddon Heights, New Jersey, where he won his letter in football. Following his evacuation from Peleliu, he was hospitalized, and later honorably retired from active duty. He was promoted to captain in the Reserve on his retirement. He died in December 1977 in Camden, New Jersey.
CITATION: Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. Place and date: Peleliu Island, Palau group, 15 September 1944. Entered service at: New Jersey. Born: 11 May 1919, Lindenwold, N.J. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while attached to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Peleliu Island, Palau group, 15 September 1944. Before permitting his men to use an enemy dugout as a position for an 81-mm. mortar observation post, 1st Lt. Rouh made a personal reconnaissance of the pillbox and, upon entering, was severely wounded by Japanese rifle fire from within. Emerging from the dugout, he was immediately assisted by 2 marines to a less exposed area but, while receiving first aid, was further endangered by an enemy grenade which was thrown into their midst. Quick to act in spite of his weakened condition, he lurched to a crouching position and thrust both men aside, placing his own body between them and the grenade and taking the full blast of the explosion himself. His exceptional spirit of loyalty and self-sacrifice in the face of almost certain death reflects the highest credit upon 1st Lt. Rouh and the U.S. Naval Service.
Courtesy of Find A Grave
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