Ken Harbaugh tells the stories of service members who have distinguished themselves through an act of valor. These stories feature recipients from the Civil War to present day, including a few who were originally overlooked for the medal.
SgtMaj Charles Hoffman (Ernest Janson): Battle of Belleau Wood
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Ernest Janson went AWOL from the Army and joined the Marines under a false name: Charles Hoffman. Eight years later, at the legendary Battle of Belleau Wood, Hoffman’s actions awarded him the Medal of Honor when he single handedly charged a German machine gun squad from attacking his Marines.
Welcome to the Medal of Honor podcast, brought to you in partnership with the National Medal of Honor Museum. I’m Ken Harbaugh. In each episode, we’ll learn about a different service member who has distinguished him or herself through an act of valor.
Ernest Janson was born on August 17th, 1878 in New York City. At the age of 22, Janson enlisted in the US Army and served for 10 years before going AWOL. The reason for this is unknown, but the same year, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps under the alias Charles Hoffman.
In 1914 Hoffman was honorably discharged, but immediately reenlisted and was promoted to Sergeant later that year after the start of WWI. He served aboard the USS Nebraska and the USS Nevada.
In June 1917, Hoffman traveled to France on the USS Dekalb with 5th Marines and was appointed, though not fully promoted, to Gunnery Sergeant.
A year after arriving in France, Hoffman took part in the Battle of Belleau Wood against German forces. As his company was consolidating its position on a hill, he spotted a dozen enemy machine gunners crawling towards him. Hoffman charged them, bayoneted the enemy squad leaders, and forced the rest to flee.
If Hoffman hadn’t spotted them, the Germans could have captured the five machine guns on the Marines’ hill and forced them to withdraw. Hoffman was severely wounded during the attack.
Because Hoffman and his fellow Marines fought under the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division in the American Expeditionary Forces, Hoffman was awarded both the Army and Navy Medals of Honor. His other American awards include the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, and the World War I Victory Medal. His foreign awards include France’s Medaille Militaire and Croix de Guerre, Italy’s Croce al Merito di Guerra, and Montenegro’s Medal of Military Bravery - all for his actions at Belleau Wood.
Following the war, Hoffman re-enlisted and served as a recruiter in New York City. He was later promoted to Gunnery Sergeant and assigned to Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia.
During Armistice Day 1921, he served as the Marine Corps pallbearer for the burial of the Unknown Soldier. One month before his retirement in September 1926, Hoffman was promoted to Sergeant Major.
He passed away on May 14th, 1930 in Long Island, New York. It is uncertain when Hoffman returned to using his birth name Janson. However, both of his Medal of Honor citations are awarded to Gunny Charles Hoffman.
The Medal of Honor podcast is a production of Evergreen Podcasts.
Nathan Corson is our producer and engineer, León Pescador is our associate producer, and I’m Ken Harbaugh.
We are proud to support the National Medal of Honor Museum. To learn more, and to support their mission, go to mohmuseum.org. Thanks for listening.
