Alan Louis Eggers

Sergeant, U.S. Army

Medal of Honor Recipient

World War I

Sergeant Alan Louis Eggers (2 November 1895 - 3 October 1968) was a U.S. Army soldier who received the U.S. military's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions during World War I.

Alan Louis Eggers was born on 2 November 1895 in Saranac Lake, NY. Eggers was a student at Cornell University before departing for military service. Cornell awarded him the degree of "War Alumnus" in 1921. He entered the Army from Summit, NJ.

He received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in combat near Le Catelet, France, on 29 September 1918.

Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Machine Gun Company, 107th Infantry, 27th Division.

Place and date: Near Le Catelet, France, 29 September 1918.

Citation: Becoming separated from their platoon by a smoke barrage, Sgt. Eggers, Sgt. John C. Latham and Cpl. Thomas E. O'Shea took cover in a shell hole well within the enemy's lines. Upon hearing a call for help from an American tank, which had become disabled 30 yards from them, the 3 soldiers left their shelter and started toward the tank, under heavy fire from German machineguns and trench mortars. In crossing the fire-swept area Cpl. O'Shea was mortally wounded, but his companions, undeterred, proceeded to the tank, rescued a wounded officer, and assisted 2 wounded soldiers to cover in a sap of a nearby trench. Sgt. Eggers and Sgt. Latham then returned to the tank in the face of the violent fire, dismounted a Hotchkiss gun, and took it back to where the wounded men were, keeping off the enemy all day by effective use of the gun and later bringing it, with the wounded men, back to our lines under cover of darkness.

Death and Burial

Sergeant Alan Louis Eggers died on 3 October 1968. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, in Section 2, Lot 3389-A, Map Grid U/V 29.