Badass Report: Pfc John C. Squires

This guy needs a Badass Report! A platoon messenger in his first combat steps up when needed.

April 24 1944 in Italy, PFC John C Squires became a badass and was awarded the Medal of Honor. He was the platoon messenger and this was his first time in an attack! It was night and he had to sneak forward through artillery and mortar fire to check on the lead platoon that had suffered an explosion. Upon arriving he saw that he was needed to take charge. He rounded up other stragglers and formed his own squad, found a new route forward, and led like a boss. There was no one else around to lead, so this PFC with no prior combat set up the outpost, moved out to get more reinforcements, braving machinegun fire and grenades, even crawling through a minefield twice to get more stragglers! Three times his little outpost was attacked and they held strong, each time PFC Squires stood, ignoring enemy fire, returning hundreds of rounds back at the Germans. Moving off alone he engaged a group of 21 Germans in a point blank machinegun duel, killing or capturing all of them, as well as their weapons. He forced them to teach him to use their Spandau belt feds, placing them in his own outpost and teaching his men to use them. They held fast through the whole night, killing and capturing more Germans using the enemy’s own weapons. He acted with “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty”. PFC Squires  was killed later in the offensive in Italy. A Badass steps up when needed, even if he is just a messenger.

For more see https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5900/john-c.-squires