Accident and Heroics on Christmas

On Christmas 1944, an army vehicle overturned & plunged into a canal.  John J. Donaldson of the 509th MPs voluntarily & at great risk dove into the icy water to assist in the rescue of eight soldiers. Upon learning that two additional men were in the the truck, he made repeated dives in an effort to free the trapped victims but was unsuccessful in his desperate attempts to pry open the door of the cab. Though exhausted from prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures, he remained at the scene until a wrecker righted the overturned truck. Courageously, he again entered the water & assisted in removing the bodies of the two soldiers.