Wikipedia

Bertoldo was ineligible for the World War II draft because of poor eyesight.[3] He decided to enlist despite his draft exemption, and joined the Army in 1942.[5] Approved for limited duty as a military policeman in the United States, Bertoldo talked his way into training as an infantryman, and was assigned as a cook with Company A, 1st Battalion, 242nd Infantry Regiment, 42nd Infantry Division.[3]

Bertoldo's regiment took part in combat in France and he had attained the rank of private first class by January 1945.[6] According to a 1995 letter by Bertoldo's company commander, William Corson, Company A's only discipline problem was Bertoldo, who did not get along with the company mess sergeant.[7] As a result, when his battalion headquarters requested three soldiers per company to stand guard duty at the 1st Battalion command post (CP) during the German Operation Nordwind offensive in December 1944 and January 1945, Corson included Bertoldo in his company's contingent.[7]

On January 9, 1945, Bertoldo was on duty at the entrance to the battalion CP near Hatten, France, when German troops began shelling the town.[5] The battalion staff withdrew, and Bertoldo volunteered to provide rearguard defense as they moved to an alternate location.[5] On his own initiative, and while under fire, he mounted a machine gun at the CP's entrance, enabling him to cover the main approach.[5] He held his fire as German tanks shelled the building, then fired at the advancing infantry that followed.[5]

By the early morning of January 10, Bertoldo had moved to the alternate command post, which he defended against a continued assault by German troops, firing a machine gun and exposing himself to enemy fire to throw hand grenades.[5] When German troops began firing a self-propelled 88-millimeter gun directly into the room from which Bertoldo was shooting, the concussion from the third round knocked him across the room and left him dazed.[5] After ensuring that his assistant gunner had not been killed, he returned to his machine gun and continued the fight.[5] He continued to fight as the battalion staff withdrew from the alternate command post, and did not withdraw himself until everyone else had moved to safety.[5]