Show I 1 this lad earned all his medals nebraska youth has wonderful record of heroic deeds in world war WAS DECORATED FOUR TIMES wins distinguished service cross for extraordinary bravery in action also gets croix de guerre and military medal omaha neb heres a veteran of the world war who cances about all the medals that could be crowded on one brawny chest and the best beat part ot of it Is that lie he actually earned every one of them ile he Is carl M lange ot hartington ington neb neb and has the distinction thic tion of being Ne braskas most decorated soldier recently his state awarded him the highest honor it could bestow upon a soldier ue he was selected by the state commander ot the american legion to represent nebraska at the burial in arlington cemetery washington on armistice day ot of an unknown soldier killed I 1 in france lange enlisted from hartington april 17 1917 just 13 days following declaration of war by president wilson ue he was one of 11 boys volunteering ering from that town and was sixteen at that time he was assigned to company B second machine gun battalion of the first division this unit embarked june 15 and landed in france june 20 26 1917 it wits was among the first 1000 american troops to enter the war zone parade on bastile day at the time of their arrival the morale of french citizenry and troops was badly shaken and at the invitation of the french government it jr A 0 N 4 carl M lange ranges banges unit paraded in paris on bus bas lle jle day july 14 1917 heralding the oming of american troops to the aid of it the allies following a brief preliminary training in the rear areas the first ill dl ruslon was nas assigned to the lines and the unit to which lange was as ignec fought successfully in six she maor jor and a large number of minor en age ments from all of these the ung soldier emerged unscathed it was as in cantigny cantieny Cant igny that carl lange iss insisted isted in carrying the body of merle merit hay from the trenches hay was the first iowa boy killed and one ot 01 the first three american boys killed in ID the war awarded four medals carl lange received four our medals find and the french cord awarded units unit for gallantry the following la Is th aba list st of medals and donors distinguished service cross awarded at montabaur Monta baur germany by general pershing with the following citation private first class carl M lange co B second machine gun battalion for extraordinary bravery in action nr boar Fl euville france seeing that ills first line was being held by machine gun fire from the woods private lange with another soldier voluntarily made his way through a ter terrific rifle barrage and entered the woods cleared out three machine guns killing several of their crews and captured about twenty prisoners fall failing in his attempt to communicate the success of his mission to the attacking wave to be himself went back and finding his officers had all become casualties ual ties assisted in the organization ot of a small force and leading it to the objective french croix de guerre with palms designating a citation awarded him by general mcglaughlin commander of the first division Medal lle alre presented by marshal petain Medal lle received from french government later through the mall mail |