Michael Valente

Michael Valente
Private First Class Michael Valente
Born	(1895-02-05)February 5, 1895 Cassino, Italy
Died	January 10, 1976(1976-01-10) (aged 80)
Place of burial	Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, New York
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1917 - 1919
Rank	Private First Class
Unit	107th Infantry Regiment, 27th Division
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Medal of Honor Purple Heart

Michael Valente (February 5, 1895 – January 10, 1976) was a United States Army soldier who served in World War I. He received the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in France on September 29, 1918.

Born on February 5, 1895, in Cassino, Italy, Valente immigrated to the United States and joined the Army in 1917 from Ogdensburg, New York. By September 29, 1918, he was serving in France as a private with Company D of the 107th Infantry Regiment, 27th Division. On that day, his unit was participating in an assault on the Hindenburg Line east of Ronssoy when it was held up by intense machine gun fire. With another man, Valente voluntarily moved forward and silenced two machine gun nests, attacked a trench, and killed five Germans and captured 21 others before being wounded. Over a decade later, on September 27, 1929, President Herbert C. Hoover awarded Valente the Medal of Honor during a ceremony on the White House lawn.

Valente is buried at Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York.

Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company D, 107th Infantry, 27th Division. Place and date: East of Ronssoy, France; September 29, 1918. Entered service at: Ogdensburg, New York. Born: February 5, 1895; Cassino, Italy. General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 16 (September 26, 1929).

Citation:

Finding the advance of his organization held up by a withering enemy machinegun fire, Private Valente volunteered to go forward. With utter disregard of his own personal danger, accompanied by another soldier, Private Valente rushed forward through an intense machinegun fire directly upon the enemy nest, killing two and capturing five of the enemy and silencing the gun. Discovering another machinegun nest close by which was pouring a deadly fire on the American forces, preventing their advance, Private Valente and his companion charged upon this strong point, killing the gunner and putting this machinegun out of action. Without hesitation they jumped into the enemy's trench, killed two and captured 16 German soldiers. Private Valente was later wounded and sent to the rear.