Thread by @pptsapper

Look at this utter BAMF. Cpl. Clarence van Allen, Boston, Massachusetts. Peep that ribbon rack. Stacks on stacks on STACKS. There's a Distinguished Service Cross, the Croix de Guerre with Palm, and the Medaille Militaire (France's 3d highest award). Don't mess with this dude

Clarence van Allen was part of the Massachusetts National Guard, Company L, 6th Infantry. When WWI was declared, the 6th MA got organized into the 26th Division. All but CO L, which became part of the 372d Infantry in the 93d Division

Fighting alongside the French, the 372d fucked up the Germans something bad. The French 157th Div commander wrote to the 372nd, "'The Red Hand,' sign of the Division, thanks to you, became a bloody hand which took the Boche by the throat and made him cry for mercy"

Starting on September 28, the 372d began hammering the Germans in the Champagne-Marne region. This was the day that Cpl van Allen woke up and chose VIOLENCE. Co L and the 3d Battalion were fighting to take Bussy Ferme and were held up by German machine guns

In the words of the regimental war diary, machine gun opposition was "stiff." Well, that just wouldn't do, so van Allen just straight up went for one of the machine guns himself. As his DSC citation says, he "put it out of action." Yeah, that's the nice way of saying it

My dude straight up killed four of the defenders and captured three. Somehow managed to walk out of there unwounded. Seriously DO NOT SHOOT AT THIS GUY. He will fuck you all up. Ends the war with the 2nd highest awards for valor from the US and France

Oh, and as van Allen notes in a letter to WEB Du Bois after the war, MG "Daddy" Edwards was the one who decorated him with his DSC - which is awesome, since Edwards had commanded the 26th Division, another great unit that Pershing hated

Pershing had terrible judgement

Anyways, Clarence returned to Boston and lived until 1964 and is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Boston. Stop by and say hi sometime, I'm sure he'd appreciate it