Michael Frihauf was raised in Rossford, Ohio. He left school after a year of high school to get a job and help support his family; shortly after marrying Catherine Pawluk, Frihauf was listed as a laborer on a railroad, where he repaired tracks.
Frihauf joined the Marine Corps on September 9, 1942. He rose to the rank of corporal in Company A, 24th Marines within a year; he went on to win the Bronze Star medal for bravery in his first battle, the invasion of Namur, in February 1944. Frihauf was promoted to sergeant and placed in command of a demolitions squad, a specially-trained group of Marines whose main objective was taking out enemy fortifications.
Sergeant Frihauf went on to participate in the battle of Saipan in June and July 1944; he won a Silver Star for gallantry and seemed destined for higher rank. However, when his company landed on the nearby island of Tinian, Sergeant Frihauf was killed by a sniper's bullet while giving orders to his squad.
He was buried in the Fourth Marine Division Cemetery on Tinian until 1948, when the widowed Mrs. Frihauf requested his remains be returned to Ohio.
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Sergeant Michael A. Frihauf (MCSN: 461233), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with the First Battalion, Twenty-Fourth Marines, FOURTH Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the occupation of Saipan Island in the Marianas, on 7 July 1944. Fighting off a savage Japanese counterattack, Sergeant Frihauf tenaciously resisted the enemy's fanatic efforts and, skillfully reorganizing his platoon when it suffered depletion by heavy casualties under the terrific onslaught, pushed the enemy back with determined aggressiveness, breaking the abortive counter-attack and annihilating sixty Japanese soldiers. With the enemy effectively disorganized, he quickly advanced his men is a relentless drive, yielding no quarter and routing the entire Japanese force in his company's zone of action. By his forceful leadership, bold tactics and indomitable fighting spirit during a critical period of the fierce hostilities, Sergeant Frihauf contributed essentially to the ultimate conquest of this vital enemy stronghold, and his undaunted courage and decisive conduct throughout upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Frihauf joined the Marine Corps on September 9, 1942. He rose to the rank of corporal in Company A, 24th Marines within a year; he went on to win the Bronze Star medal for bravery in his first battle, the invasion of Namur, in February 1944. Frihauf was promoted to sergeant and placed in command of a demolitions squad, a specially-trained group of Marines whose main objective was taking out enemy fortifications.
Sergeant Frihauf went on to participate in the battle of Saipan in June and July 1944; he won a Silver Star for gallantry and seemed destined for higher rank. However, when his company landed on the nearby island of Tinian, Sergeant Frihauf was killed by a sniper's bullet while giving orders to his squad.
He was buried in the Fourth Marine Division Cemetery on Tinian until 1948, when the widowed Mrs. Frihauf requested his remains be returned to Ohio.
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Sergeant Michael A. Frihauf (MCSN: 461233), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with the First Battalion, Twenty-Fourth Marines, FOURTH Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the occupation of Saipan Island in the Marianas, on 7 July 1944. Fighting off a savage Japanese counterattack, Sergeant Frihauf tenaciously resisted the enemy's fanatic efforts and, skillfully reorganizing his platoon when it suffered depletion by heavy casualties under the terrific onslaught, pushed the enemy back with determined aggressiveness, breaking the abortive counter-attack and annihilating sixty Japanese soldiers. With the enemy effectively disorganized, he quickly advanced his men is a relentless drive, yielding no quarter and routing the entire Japanese force in his company's zone of action. By his forceful leadership, bold tactics and indomitable fighting spirit during a critical period of the fierce hostilities, Sergeant Frihauf contributed essentially to the ultimate conquest of this vital enemy stronghold, and his undaunted courage and decisive conduct throughout upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Michael Frihauf was raised in Rossford, Ohio. He left school after a year of high school to get a job and help support his family; shortly after marrying Catherine Pawluk, Frihauf was listed as a laborer on a railroad, where he repaired tracks.
Frihauf joined the Marine Corps on September 9, 1942. He rose to the rank of corporal in Company A, 24th Marines within a year; he went on to win the Bronze Star medal for bravery in his first battle, the invasion of Namur, in February 1944. Frihauf was promoted to sergeant and placed in command of a demolitions squad, a specially-trained group of Marines whose main objective was taking out enemy fortifications.
Sergeant Frihauf went on to participate in the battle of Saipan in June and July 1944; he won a Silver Star for gallantry and seemed destined for higher rank. However, when his company landed on the nearby island of Tinian, Sergeant Frihauf was killed by a sniper's bullet while giving orders to his squad.
He was buried in the Fourth Marine Division Cemetery on Tinian until 1948, when the widowed Mrs. Frihauf requested his remains be returned to Ohio.
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Sergeant Michael A. Frihauf (MCSN: 461233), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with the First Battalion, Twenty-Fourth Marines, FOURTH Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the occupation of Saipan Island in the Marianas, on 7 July 1944. Fighting off a savage Japanese counterattack, Sergeant Frihauf tenaciously resisted the enemy's fanatic efforts and, skillfully reorganizing his platoon when it suffered depletion by heavy casualties under the terrific onslaught, pushed the enemy back with determined aggressiveness, breaking the abortive counter-attack and annihilating sixty Japanese soldiers. With the enemy effectively disorganized, he quickly advanced his men is a relentless drive, yielding no quarter and routing the entire Japanese force in his company's zone of action. By his forceful leadership, bold tactics and indomitable fighting spirit during a critical period of the fierce hostilities, Sergeant Frihauf contributed essentially to the ultimate conquest of this vital enemy stronghold, and his undaunted courage and decisive conduct throughout upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Frihauf joined the Marine Corps on September 9, 1942. He rose to the rank of corporal in Company A, 24th Marines within a year; he went on to win the Bronze Star medal for bravery in his first battle, the invasion of Namur, in February 1944. Frihauf was promoted to sergeant and placed in command of a demolitions squad, a specially-trained group of Marines whose main objective was taking out enemy fortifications.
Sergeant Frihauf went on to participate in the battle of Saipan in June and July 1944; he won a Silver Star for gallantry and seemed destined for higher rank. However, when his company landed on the nearby island of Tinian, Sergeant Frihauf was killed by a sniper's bullet while giving orders to his squad.
He was buried in the Fourth Marine Division Cemetery on Tinian until 1948, when the widowed Mrs. Frihauf requested his remains be returned to Ohio.
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Sergeant Michael A. Frihauf (MCSN: 461233), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with the First Battalion, Twenty-Fourth Marines, FOURTH Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the occupation of Saipan Island in the Marianas, on 7 July 1944. Fighting off a savage Japanese counterattack, Sergeant Frihauf tenaciously resisted the enemy's fanatic efforts and, skillfully reorganizing his platoon when it suffered depletion by heavy casualties under the terrific onslaught, pushed the enemy back with determined aggressiveness, breaking the abortive counter-attack and annihilating sixty Japanese soldiers. With the enemy effectively disorganized, he quickly advanced his men is a relentless drive, yielding no quarter and routing the entire Japanese force in his company's zone of action. By his forceful leadership, bold tactics and indomitable fighting spirit during a critical period of the fierce hostilities, Sergeant Frihauf contributed essentially to the ultimate conquest of this vital enemy stronghold, and his undaunted courage and decisive conduct throughout upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
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