"Two months later, on May 23, 1944, in Italy, Col. Etheredge immediately took charge of Company "K," 30th Infantry Regiment, when the commanding officer and other key personnel were cut down; deciding to continue the attack, he ignored heavy fire to move up and down a ditch for 75 yards, reorganizing his company and bolstering its morale; though wounded in the leg, he then led his men running and crawling into the face of steady small arms fire for some 550 yards, rested them for 10 minutes, and then resumed the assault, advancing another 250 yards, overrunning the objective and organizing an all‑around defensive position."