Edward A. Silk

Who was Edward A. Silk?

Edward A. Silk was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.

Silk joined the Army from his birth city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania in April 1941, and by November 23, 1944 was serving as a first lieutenant in Company E, 398th Infantry Regiment, 100th Infantry Division. On that day, near St. Pravel, France, he single-handedly attacked a German-held farmhouse and captured the soldiers inside. He was awarded the Medal of Honor a year later, on November 1, 1945.

Silk reached the rank of lieutenant colonel before leaving the Army. He died at age 39 from complications from a peptic ulcer and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia.