Floyd K. Lindstrom

Floyd Kenneth Lindstrom (June 21, 1912 – February 3, 1944) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.

Early life Born in Holdrege, Nebraska, on June 21, 1912, his parents were Anna (née Stongberg) and Otto Rudolph Lindstrom. His father was born April 8, 1881 and died November 19, 1954. In 1910, Anna and 29-year-old Otto lived on their farm in Westmark, Nebraska, with their daughter Pauline and Anna’s brother Emil Stongberg. Both men were farmers.

When Lindstrom was a toddler, his mother brought him and his older sister Pauline to Colorado. It is reported that Lindstrom never saw his father.

World War II Lindstrom joined the Army on June 22, 1942. He was at Camp Roberts, California, from July 17, 1942, to October 15, 1942.

While in convoy on July 12, 1943, in Sicily, his unit came under attack by four enemy planes. The convoy stopped and everyone dispersed. He saw one truck starting to roll. Seeing it was moving towards an unaware soldier lying in the road and "disregarding the strafing by the planes, [he] jumped on the truck’s running board and guided it away from the soldier and also prevented it going over a steep embankment."

German prepared defensive lines south of Rome. Mount la Difensa was on Bernhardt Line By November 11, 1943, (The Medal of Honor and other documentation states that the date was November 11; On that day, near Mignano, Italy, he single-handedly charged and captured a German machine gun, killed a soldier and sent the others in the nest scurrying for safety.) He then began shooting German soldiers with the machine gun and risked his life to get more ammunition. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor. he was returned to his family in Colorado Springs, where he is buried next to his mother in Evergreen Cemetery. He was awarded the Purple Heart and two Italian Military Crosses.

Medal of Honor citation

Medal of Honor citation Private First Class Lindstrom's official Medal of Honor citation reads: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 11 November 1943, this soldier's platoon was furnishing machinegun support for a rifle company attacking a hill near Mignano, Italy, when the enemy counterattacked, forcing the riflemen and half the machinegun platoon to retire to a defensive position. Pfc. Lindstrom saw that his small section was alone and outnumbered 5 to 1, yet he immediately deployed the few remaining men into position and opened fire with his single gun. The enemy centered fire on him with machinegun, machine pistols, and grenades. Unable to knock out the enemy nest from his original position, Pfc. Lindstrom picked up his own heavy machinegun and staggered 15 yards up the barren, rocky hillside to a new position, completely ignoring enemy small arms fire which was striking all around him. From this new site, only 10 yards from the enemy machinegun, he engaged it in an intense duel. Realizing that he could not hit the hostile gunners because they were behind a large rock, he charged uphill under a steady stream of fire, killed both gunners with his pistol and dragged their gun down to his own men, directing them to employ it against the enemy. Disregarding heavy rifle fire, he returned to the enemy machinegun nest for 2 boxes of ammunition, came back and resumed withering fire from his own gun. His spectacular performance completely broke up the German counterattack. Pfc. Lindstrom demonstrated aggressive spirit and complete fearlessness in the face of almost certain death.

Awards and decorations alt=A metal device depicting a blue bar with a rifle, in front of a wreath of silver leaves. with one campaign starWorld War II Victory Medal Foreign awards

Italian Military Cross

Legacy By a public law dated December 16, 2014, the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Colorado Springs was named the PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic by the 113th United States Congress. He was made a Colorado Freedom Memorial Honoree by 2001. The memorial is a Springhill Community Park, Aurora, Colorado. Lindstrom Street on Fort Carson in Colorado Springs is named for him. and the city park in Cripple Creek, Colorado. On June 20, 2019, Colorado Springs American Legion Post 5 voted to rename the post to American Legion PFC FLOYD K LINDSTROM POST 5.