Medal of Honor
July 19, 1918–October 5, 1918
Vierzy and Somme-Py, France
- Rank at action
- Pharmacist's Mate First Class
- Service
- U.S. Navy
- Conflict
- World War I
- Unit or command
- 6th Regiment, U.S. Marines
The Citation
Sources ↓For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, with the 6th Regiment, U.S. Marines, in action at Vierzy, on 19 July 1918. Balch unhesitatingly and fearlessly exposed himself to terrific machinegun and high-explosive fire to succor the wounded as they fell in the attack, leaving his dressing station voluntarily and keeping up the work all day and late into the night unceasingly for 16 hours. Also in the action at Somme-Py on 5 October 1918, he exhibited exceptional bravery in establishing an advanced dressing station under heavy shellfire.
Sources & record notes
General Order comparison: pending. Current-profile review does not mean that the underlying original order has been examined.
- John Henry Balch — Congressional Medal of Honor Society recipient profile ↗Congressional Medal of Honor Society · Checked 2026-09-01
current identity, service, action metadata, and citation comparison
Transcription, metadata & provenance notes
- Award ID
- MOH-AW-002791
- Transcription status
- Legacy full text · current reference profile matched
- Last source check
- 2026-09-01
- Entered service at
- Kansas City, Mo.
- Archive transcription SHA-256
- c072eecbdc3de6b1e3e96cbf4e84ed92a727cf20131a2a8579488a6122771e55
Legacy transcription retained without substantive editing; rendered current reference profile comparison is documented in the Phase 10 evidence snapshot.
Structured field lists October 5 only; citation explicitly covers July 19 at Vierzy and October 5 at Somme-Py.