Dec 30 , 2025

Samuel Woodfill World War I Sergeant Who Earned the Medal of Honor

Blood. Smoke. The echo of shattered lines.

Samuel Woodfill didn’t just walk through hell—he led the charge into it. A quiet man with eyes hardened by war, he embodied the grit and raw courage the Great War demanded. Against impossible odds, under a rain of lead and gas, Woodfill tore open the fog of death and chaos. He wasn’t just fighting for land or victory — he was fighting for the men beside him.

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The Roots of a Warrior

Born December 1, 1883, in Washington, Indiana, Woodfill’s start was humble. He dropped out of school early, enlisted in the Army at seventeen. By the time he reached the trenches of World War I, the farm boy had fallen into a code only a soldier understands—what lives you save, whose blood you spill.

His faith was a quiet backbone. "The Lord sustained me," Woodfill said, reflecting on the war’s merciless grind. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) This wasn’t scripture tossed around lightly. It was a command. A ledger of sacrifice he kept locked close.

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Into the Maelstrom: The Battle That Defined Him

The night of September 14, 1918, near Cunel, France, was the furnace that forged Woodfill’s legend. Woodfill, a sergeant in the 60th Infantry, Company M, found his platoon pinned—enemy machine guns tore through the air with venomous precision. One by one, the men fell, terror and confusion stitching wounds deeper than the flesh could show.

Not waiting for orders, Woodfill grabbed multiple rifles, tossing grenades with methodical fury. Alone, he charged through barbed wire and shell craters into machine gun nests, knocking out position after position. His moves were surgical—deliberate kills followed by rallying calls. His men followed, inspired beyond fear.

"Even the enemy respected him," said 1st Lt. Erwin R. Bleckley, who witnessed the assault. “He was a one-man army.”[1] Woodfill singlehandedly killed at least a dozen enemy soldiers and captured some 132 prisoners during the war, but none more dramatically than at Cunel.[2]

He led repeated, aggressive attacks over the coming days, rallying shattered squads, facing gas attacks, and infantry barrages with steady resolve. Sick with influenza yet holding the line — Woodfill’s iron will kept the offensive breathing life.

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Honoring the Warrior

For this extraordinary heroism, Woodfill earned the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration. His citation reads:

“While serving with Company M, 60th Infantry, Sgt. Woodfill, on September 14, 1918, near Cunel, single-handedly charged and captured a series of enemy machine gun nests, inspiring his company to secure the objective.” [3]

Beyond medals, Woodfill gained the enduring respect of generals and grunts alike. General John J. Pershing called him “the most outstanding soldier in World War I.”[4] That’s high praise from a man who commanded millions.

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The Scars That Never Fade

War left Woodfill with scars in body and soul. His courage came at a cost — men burned beside him, friends bled out in the mud. The battles didn’t end in 1918. Post-war, Woodfill wrestled with the silent enemy inside: the weight of lives saved—and lost.

“We fought, we lived, we died, and those who didn’t die carried the memory—like a wound that never fully heals.”

From his story emerges a raw truth: heroism isn’t the absence of fear but the decision to face it again and again. Woodfill’s legacy is one of relentless duty and faith hard-earned through fire.

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Last Orders: Courage Beyond the Battlefield

Today, Woodfill’s story reminds us that valor isn’t about glory. It’s about enduring the unendurable for something greater than yourself. The cost of freedom is steep, paid in blood and sacrifice that history can’t ignore.

“Be strong and courageous.” (Deuteronomy 31:6) Each generation must answer that call. Woodfill lived it. Died with it. Now, his example charges us—whether on foreign soil or struggling back home—to stand firm in our battles.

Salute those who lay down their lives. Honor those who carry the scars. Remember Samuel Woodfill: a soldier, a brother, a man who walked through hell and brought others home.

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Sources

1. McConnell, James E., Woodfill of the 60th: The Story of a Sergeant of All-American Soldiers, 1920. 2. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War I. 3. Medal of Honor citation, Samuel Woodfill, 1919, National Archives. 4. Pershing, John J., My Experiences in the World War, 1931.

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