James I. Mestrovitch
Sergeant, U.S. Army
Medal of Honor Recipient
World War I

Sergeant James I. Mestrovitch was a U.S. Army soldier who was posthumously awarded the U.S. military's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions during World War I.

James I. Mestrovitch (AKA Joko Mestrovic), a Serb, was born on 22 May 1894 in the Principality of Montenegro. He lived in Fresno, CA, and enlisted in the Army at Pittsburgh, PA.

Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 111th Infantry, 28th Division.

Place and date: At Fismette, France, 10 August 1918.

Citation: Seeing his company commander lying wounded 30 yards in front of the line after his company had withdrawn to a sheltered position behind a stone wall, Sgt. Mestrovitch voluntarily left cover and crawled through heavy machinegun and shell fire to where the officer lay. He took the officer upon his back and crawled to a place of safety, where he administered first-aid treatment, his exceptional heroism saving the officer's life.

Death and Burial

Sergeant James I. Mestrovitch was killed in action on 4 November 1918. He is buried in the Serbian Orthodox Church St. Jovan in Bogisici Montenegro.