Donald M. Call

Donald Marshall Call (November 29, 1892–March 19, 1984) was a United States Army soldier during World War I who received the Medal of Honor.

Biography Call was the son of the late Edward Payson Call, once business manager of The Journal of Commerce, and a grandson of General Francis X. Marshall, a well-known Indian fighter and one of the pioneers of Colorado. He was also the son-in-law of New York State Senator Clarence Lexow.

He transferred to the Tank Corps on April 1, 1918, and was made a corporal in B Company, 344th Battalion. The 344th Battalion was subordinated to the 1st Provisional Brigade, Tank Corps, which then Lieutenant Colonel George S. Patton, Jr. commanded. It was while serving in the 344th Battalion that Call earned the Medal of Honor. The French government once again recognized his bravery by awarding him the Legion of Honor in the degree of Chevalier and an additional Croix de Guerre with palm. He was also awarded the Montenegrin Order of Prince Danilo I. Two days after the Medal of Honor exploit, from which he emerged unscathed, Call was wounded and spent some time in the hospital. He returned to the front line in time to participate in the Argonne and St. Mihiel offensives. Call was commissioned as a second lieutenant in October, 1918. On February 9, 1919, General John J. Pershing formally presented Second Lieutenant Call, and 16 other Medal of Honor recipients, with their Medal of Honor decoration at an outdoor ceremony at Chaumont, France.

Medal of Honor citation Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, 344th Battalion, Tank Corps. Place and date: At Varennes, France; September 26, 1918. Entered service at: France. Birth: November 29, 1892; New York, New York. General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 13 (January 18, 1919).

Citation: During an operation against enemy machinegun nests west of Varennes, Corporal Call was in a tank with an officer when half of the turret was knocked off by a direct artillery hit. Choked by gas from the high-explosive shell, he left the tank and took cover in a shell hole 30 yards away. Seeing that the officer did not follow, and thinking that he might be alive, Corporal Call returned to the tank under intense machinegun and shell fire and carried the officer over a mile under machinegun and sniper fire to safety.

Military awards Call's military decorations and awards include the following:

1st rowMedal of Honor2nd rowPurple Heart World War I Victory Medal w/two bronze service stars to denote credit for the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne battle clasps.Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur degree of Knight (French Republic) 3rd rowCroix de guerre 1914–1918 w/bronze palm and silver star (French Republic) Croce al Merito di Guerra (Italy)Орден Књаза Данила I degree of Knight (Kingdom of Montenegro)