Sydney G. Gumpertz

First Sergeant, U.S. Army

Medal of Honor Recipient

World War I

First Sergeant Sydney G. Gumpertz (24 October 1879 - 16 February 1971) 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.

Sydney G. Gumpertz was born on 24 October 1879 in San Raphael, CA. He entered into the Army at Chicago, IL.

Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: First Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company E, 132d Infantry, 33d Division.

Place and date: In the Bois-de-Forges, France, 29 September 1918.

Citation: When the advancing line was held up by machinegun fire, 1st Sgt. Gumpertz left the platoon of which he was in command and started with 2 other soldiers through a heavy barrage toward the machinegun nest. His 2 companions soon became casualties from bursting shells, but 1st Sgt. Gumpertz continued on alone in the face of direct fire from the machinegun, jumped into the nest and silenced the gun, capturing 9 of the crew.

Death and Burial

Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, Suffolk County, NY, in the Distinguished Service Section, Site 65.