Sydney G. Gumpertz

Sydney G. Gumpertz was a Jewish American soldier who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for valor during World War I.

Gumpertz was born on October 24, 1879, in San Raphael, California, and enlisted in the U.S. Army from Chicago.

During World War I, Gumpertz served as a First Sergeant in the 132nd Infantry, 33rd Division of the Army. On September 29, 1918, in the Bois-de-Forges, France, Gumpertz left the platoon of which he was in command and started with two other soldiers through a heavy barrage of fire toward a machine gun nest that was holding up his troops' advancing line. His two companions were quickly injured from bursting shells, but Gumpertz continued alone in the face of direct fire from the machine gun, jumped into the gunner nest and destroyed the gun while also capturing nine of the enemy crew. For this galantry in battle, Gumpertz was awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration.

Gumpertz died at age 91 on February 16, 1971, and was buried at the Long Island National Cemetery.

The citation for his medal reads:

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

Sources: Jewish Recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, compiled by Seymour "Sy" Brody;
Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation.