Balch, John Henry, CDR

John Henry Balch entered the Navy in Kansas City, Missouri, by volunteering via the officers procurement program.  Before his enlistment on 26 May 1917, he had been a student at Kansas State University in Lawrence.  After his training, he joined the 3d Battalion, 6^th Marine Regiment and served with it in France.

Before he performed the actions for which he would receive the Medal of Honor, Balch participated in the bloody battle of Belleau Wood.  He subsequently suffered a wound during a battle in the Chateau-Thierry sector.  These harsh introductions to combat, however, failed to discourage him from putting his own life at risk to save other people.  On 18 July 1918, the 6^th Marines relieved elements of the 2d Infantry Division, whose units ere weakened and exhausted from the attack on Soissons the day before.  The 6^th Marines faced difficulty in properly preparing for another attack in Soissons because of vague orders from the French command.  Despite these problems, and having to pass through areas raked by intense machinegun and artillery fire that caused heavy casualties, the attack progressed according to plan.  The troops had gone 10 kilometers before reaching the wheat field facing the Soissons-Chateau-Thierry highway.  On 19 July, the exhausted and battered troops could barely face another effort.  Nevertheless, the 6^th Marines received orders to push the attack forward to the highway, and by late afternoon they had reached all objectives.  However, the battle had been extremely fierce, with heavy artillery and machine-gun fire having caused further casualties.  Of the 2,400 men engaged, 1,300 died or were wounded.  Balch voluntarily left the aid station to help the wounded, fearlessly exposing himself to heavy barrages of enemy fire, and managed to work all day and late into the night for 16 hours straight.  His sustained courage under fire saved the lives of many men.

In the regimentâ??s attack during the Champagne offensive on 5 October 1918, Balch again showed exceptional bravery by establishing an advanced aid station under heavy shellfire.  On this occasion, with 2,350 Marines engaged, the regiment suffered 940 casualties.

On 19 August 1919, Balch was honorably discharged as a Pharmacistâ??s Mate First Class.  One-month later, Rear Admiral F. B. Bassett presented the Medal of Honor to him at the YMCA in Chicago, Illinois.  On 2 September 1942, Balch rejoined the Navy as a lieutenant and served in the United States, Australia and the Philippines before retiring on 1 June 1950 from the Naval Reserve as a commander.

In addition to the Medal of Honor,  Balch also received the Distinguished Service Cross (Army), the Silver Star Medal (Army), the French Croix de Guerre with diploma (Gilt Star and Bronze Star), the Italian Crux de Guerre with diploma, and the Portuguese Cruz de Guerra for his actions during World War I.

                                                           

                                                      The President of the United States
                                                                  in the name of
                                                                  The Congress
                                                       takes pleasure in presenting the

                                                                  Medal of Honor

                                                                             to



                                                             BALCH, JOHN HENRY