Harold E. Goettler’s Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to

FIRST LIEUTENANT (AIR SERVICE)

HAROLD ERNEST GOETTLER

UNITED STATES ARMY AIR SERVICE

for service as set forth in the following

CITATION:

for extraordinary heroism in action at Binarville, France, 6 October 1918, while serving as Pilot, 50th Aero Squadron, 130th Field Artillery, Air Service, A.E.F. First Lieutenant Goettler, with his observer, Second Lieutenant Erwin R. Bleckley, 130th Field Artillery, left the airdrome late in the afternoon on their second trip to drop supplies to a battalion of the 77th Division which had been cut off by the enemy in the Argonne Forest. Having been subjected on the first trip to violent fire from the enemy, they attempted on the second trip to come still lower in order to get the packages even more precisely on the designated spot.

In the course of this mission the plane was brought down by enemy rifle and machinegun fire from the ground, resulting in the instant death of First Lieutenant Goettler. In attempting and performing this mission First Lieutenant Goettler showed the highest possible contempt of personal danger, devotion to duty, courage and valor.