b. 12/12/1889 San Francisco, California. d. 29/10/1987 San Francisco, California.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 26/09/1918 near Eclisfontaine, France.
Phillip C Katz MOH
Phillip C. Katz was born on 12 December 1889 in San Francisco, CA. He served during WWI as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army, Company C, 363d Infantry, 91st Division. On September 26, 1918, Sergeant Katz participated in action near Eclisfontaine, France. His Medal of Honor was issued by the War Department in 1919.
September 26th marked the first day of combat for the 91st Division in the Meuse-Argonne region of France and the actions of 3 individuals served to inspire the men, new to combat, to find the courage to attack the enemy. Sgt. Katz spent his first day rescuing wounded soldiers from under enemy machine gun fire even though he also had been wounded.
Sgt. Katz was the only native Californian to receive the Medal of Honor during WWI and returned home to San Francisco to a hero’s welcome. Mr. Katz, a bachelor, was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1923 and served as Public Administrator for the City and County of San Francisco for 27 years until his retirement in 1953. He was an avid fly fisherman and enjoyed world travel.
Sgt. Katz was the first Californian to be accorded a special Medal of Honor recipient license plate. Phillip Katz died on 29 October 1987 in San Francisco, CA. At the time of his death he was the nation’s oldest living Medal of Honor recipient. In August 1997 the 91st Division SGT Phillip C. Katz Battle Projection Center (BPC) was dedicated and opened at Camp Parks in Dublin, CA.
MOH CITATION:
After his company had withdrawn for a distance of 200 yards on a line with the units on its flanks, Sgt. Katz learned that one of his comrades had been left wounded in an exposed position at the point from which the withdrawal had taken place. Voluntarily crossing an area swept by heavy machine-gun fire, he advanced to where the wounded soldier lay and carried him to a place of safety.
BURIAL LOCATION: CYPRESS LAWN CEMETERY, COLMA, CALIFORNIA.
SECTION C, LOT 7.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: BELIEVED TO BE FAMILY.
