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Rank and organization:
First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 36th Infantry Division.
Place and date:
Near Altavilla, Italy, 13 September 1943.
Entered service at:
Seattle, Wash.
Birth:
Clinton, Wash.
G.O. No.:
73, 6 September 1944.
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of
duty in action with the enemy near Altavilla, Italy, 13 September 1943. When his company
attacked a German position on Hill 424, the first platoon, led by 1st Lt.
Bjorklund, moved
forward on the right flank to the slope of the hill where it was pinned down by a heavy
concentration of machinegun and rifle fire. Ordering his men to give covering fire, with
only 3 handgrenades, he crept and crawled forward to a German machinegun position located
on a terrace along the forward slope. Approaching within a few yards of the position, and
while continuously exposed to enemy fire, he hurled 1 grenade into the nest, destroyed the
gun and killed 3 Germans. Discovering a second machinegun 20 yards to the right on a
higher terrace, he moved under intense enemy fire to a point within a few yards and threw
a second grenade into this position, destroying it and killing 2 more Germans. The first
platoon was then able to advance 150 yards further up the slope to the crest of the hill,
but was again stopped by the fire from a heavy enemy mortar on the reverse slope. Ist Lt.
Bjorklund located the mortar and worked his way under little cover to within 10 yards of
its position and threw his third grenade, destroying the mortar, killing 2 of the Germans,
and forcing the remaining 3 to flee. His actions permitted the platoon to take its
objective.
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