In God We Trust
Department of the Army
General Orders No. 12 - 22 January 1953
Sergeant Louis Misseri, Army of the Republic of France, a member of the Third Company, French Battalion, attached to the 23d Infantry Regiment, United States Army, distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action near Pia-ri, Korea, on 26 September 1951. As a squad leader in an attack on "Heartbreak Ridge," he led his squad through an intense barrage of enemy mortar and artillery fire to the slope on which enemy bunkers were located. Dividing his squad into two sections, he personally led one section of three men in an assault upon the bunkers. While his comrades covered his advance, he moved forward alone through a hail of fire, attacked the first bunker, and silenced it. He continued his assault until the way had been cleared for his squad to advance and reorganize. When the enemy launched a counterattack, Sergeant Misseri, although seriously wounded, drove them back, inflicting 15 casualties with his rifle. When this position became untenable and he was ordered to withdraw, he sent his men back one by one while he covered their withdrawal. The last man to leave the hill, except for one other who helped him because of his wounded condition, he would not allow himself to be evacuated until he had made a complete report of his mission. One of the very few men to reach the top of "Heartbreak Ridge" during this costly attack, Sergeant Misseri's gallantry and extraordinary devotion to duty reflect the highest credit on him and uphold the finest traditions of the Army of the Republic of France.