Clayton Kirk Slack
Private, U.S. Army
Medal of Honor Recipient
World War I

Private Clayton Kirk Slack (23 February 1896 - 1 March 1976) was a U.S. Army soldier who received the U.S. military's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions during World War I.

Clayton Kirk Slack was born in Plover, WI, on 23 February 1896. He joined the Army and, as a Private, he was cited for single-handedly clearing out a German machine gun nest resulting in 10 prisoners and the capture of 2 machine guns on 8 October 1918, in the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the biggest battle of World War I involving American troops.

Slack noticed several German troops and charged at them with his rifle and bayonet telling them to "put their hands up."The German soldiers, thinking that he was leading a patrol, surrendered. Slack's actions were credited with saving his unit heavy casualties.

Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company D, 124th Machine Gun Battalion, 33d Division.

Place and date: Near Consenvoye, France, 8 October 1918.

Citation: Observing German soldiers under cover 50 yards away on the left flank, Pvt. Slack, upon his own initiative, rushed them with his rifle and, single-handed, captured 10 prisoners and 2 heavy-type machineguns, thus saving his company and neighboring organizations from heavy casualties.

After the war, Slack toured the U.S. with war films and by the time of his death had met six presidents. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy hosted a reunion of Medal of Honor recipients at the White House for the 100th anniversary of the first presentation of the Medal. Slack attended the function along with a number of other Medal of Honor recipients.

Death and Burial

Private Clayton Kirk Slack died on 1 March 1976 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, in Section 34, Lot 59.