Interesting Places I've Photographed
Lt. Raymond Ovila Beaudoin
South Hadley, MA
Topic: Medal of Honor Recipient
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Lt. Raymond Ovila Beaudoin |
GPS: N42° 14.021; W072° 34.618
Quick Description:
The grave site of Lt. Raymond Ovila Beaudoin is located in a family plot in section C of Notre Dame Cemetery in South Hadley, MA
Long Description:
Raymond Ovila Beaudoin was born on July 15, 1918 in Holyoke, MA. He entered the service from Holyoke and served in the U.S. Army in Company F of the 119th Infantry in the 30th Infantry Division. On April 6, 1945, he was leading his platoon over open ground near Hamelin, Germany. His unit was pinned down by fire from machine guns and automatic weapons. He was able to dig his platoon in against and inflicted heavy casualties on a numerically superior force until enemy reinforcements arrived making his position precarious. In order give cover to a messenger sent to secure help, Lt. Beaudoin made a one man charge on a sniper nest some 90 yards away. Under heavy bazooka and rifle fire, he reached the sniper nest and killed three of the enemy. A fourth enemy soldier was killed by fire from the dug in platoon. Lt. Beaudoin then charged a dugout, but was killed by machine gun fire. The messenger was able to secure help and the platoon was saved. For his heroism, Lt. Beaudoin was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
The grave site of Lt. Raymond O. Beaudoin is marked by a gray granite family headstone and a small granite Medal of Honor tablet set at ground level.
RAYMOND O. BEAUDOIN
MEDAL OF HONOR
1ST LT US ARMY
WORLD WAR II
JUL 15, 1918 APR 6 1945
The family headstone has the name BEAUDOIN inscribed in large raised capital letters on the front side. The back of the headstone has the dates and names:
1889 WILLIAM W. 1961
HIS WIFE
1889 EMMA LAPAN 1966
1918 1ST. LT. RAYMOND O. 1945
CONG. MEDAL OF HONOR
1920 EVELYN R. 1927
1863 JOSEPH BEAUDOIN 1942
Son Espouse
1862 ARTHIMISE VINCENT 1953
1885 OLIVA BEAUDOIN 1938
1925 ERNST A. BEAUDOIN
HIS WIFE
1927 LENA L. SAVAGE 2011
1930 HENRY R. BEAUDOIN
HIS WIFE
1931 OLIVETTE J. RINGUETTE
Medal of Honor Citation:
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company F, 119th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division. Place and date: Hamelin, Germany, 6 April 1945. Entered service at: Holyoke, Mass. Birth: Holyoke, Mass. G.O. No.: 9, 25 January 1946.
He was leading the 2d Platoon of Company F over flat, open terrain to Hamelin, Germany, when the enemy went into action with machineguns and automatic weapons, laying down a devastating curtain of fire which pinned his unit to the ground. By rotating men in firing positions he made it possible for his entire platoon to dig in, defying all the while the murderous enemy fire to encourage his men and to distribute ammunition. He then dug in himself at the most advanced position, where he kept up a steady fire, killing 6 hostile soldiers, and directing his men in inflicting heavy casualties on the numerically superior opposing force. Despite these defensive measures, however, the position of the platoon became more precarious, for the enemy had brought up strong reinforcements and was preparing a counterattack. Three men, sent back at intervals to obtain ammunition and reinforcements, were killed by sniper fire. To relieve his command from the desperate situation, 1st Lt. Beaudoin decided to make a l-man attack on the most damaging enemy sniper nest 90 yards to the right flank, and thereby divert attention from the runner who would attempt to pierce the enemy's barrier of bullets and secure help. Crawling over completely exposed ground, he relentlessly advanced, undeterred by 8 rounds of bazooka fire which threw mud and stones over him or by rifle fire which ripped his uniform. Ten yards from the enemy position he stood up and charged. At point-blank range he shot and killed 2 occupants of the nest; a third, who tried to bayonet him, he overpowered and killed with the butt of his carbine; and the fourth adversary was cut down by the platoon's rifle fire as he attempted to flee. He continued his attack by running toward a dugout, but there he was struck and killed by a burst from a machinegun. By his intrepidity, great fighting skill, and supreme devotion to his responsibility for the well-being of his platoon, 1st Lt. Beaudoin single-handedly accomplished a mission that enabled a messenger to secure help which saved the stricken unit and made possible the decisive defeat of the German forces.
The grave site of Lt. Raymond O. Beaudoin is marked by a gray granite family headstone and a small granite Medal of Honor tablet set at ground level.
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| Medal of Honor Plaque |
The ground level granite plaque has the images of a Latin cross and the Medal of Honor and the following inscription:
MEDAL OF HONOR
1ST LT US ARMY
WORLD WAR II
JUL 15, 1918 APR 6 1945
The family headstone has the name BEAUDOIN inscribed in large raised capital letters on the front side. The back of the headstone has the dates and names:
HIS WIFE
1889 EMMA LAPAN 1966
1918 1ST. LT. RAYMOND O. 1945
CONG. MEDAL OF HONOR
1920 EVELYN R. 1927
1863 JOSEPH BEAUDOIN 1942
Son Espouse
1862 ARTHIMISE VINCENT 1953
1885 OLIVA BEAUDOIN 1938
1925 ERNST A. BEAUDOIN
HIS WIFE
1927 LENA L. SAVAGE 2011
1930 HENRY R. BEAUDOIN
HIS WIFE
1931 OLIVETTE J. RINGUETTE
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company F, 119th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division. Place and date: Hamelin, Germany, 6 April 1945. Entered service at: Holyoke, Mass. Birth: Holyoke, Mass. G.O. No.: 9, 25 January 1946.
He was leading the 2d Platoon of Company F over flat, open terrain to Hamelin, Germany, when the enemy went into action with machineguns and automatic weapons, laying down a devastating curtain of fire which pinned his unit to the ground. By rotating men in firing positions he made it possible for his entire platoon to dig in, defying all the while the murderous enemy fire to encourage his men and to distribute ammunition. He then dug in himself at the most advanced position, where he kept up a steady fire, killing 6 hostile soldiers, and directing his men in inflicting heavy casualties on the numerically superior opposing force. Despite these defensive measures, however, the position of the platoon became more precarious, for the enemy had brought up strong reinforcements and was preparing a counterattack. Three men, sent back at intervals to obtain ammunition and reinforcements, were killed by sniper fire. To relieve his command from the desperate situation, 1st Lt. Beaudoin decided to make a l-man attack on the most damaging enemy sniper nest 90 yards to the right flank, and thereby divert attention from the runner who would attempt to pierce the enemy's barrier of bullets and secure help. Crawling over completely exposed ground, he relentlessly advanced, undeterred by 8 rounds of bazooka fire which threw mud and stones over him or by rifle fire which ripped his uniform. Ten yards from the enemy position he stood up and charged. At point-blank range he shot and killed 2 occupants of the nest; a third, who tried to bayonet him, he overpowered and killed with the butt of his carbine; and the fourth adversary was cut down by the platoon's rifle fire as he attempted to flee. He continued his attack by running toward a dugout, but there he was struck and killed by a burst from a machinegun. By his intrepidity, great fighting skill, and supreme devotion to his responsibility for the well-being of his platoon, 1st Lt. Beaudoin single-handedly accomplished a mission that enabled a messenger to secure help which saved the stricken unit and made possible the decisive defeat of the German forces.
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