Item Description
Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is the cased & engraved Purple Heart Medal of then-Sergeant Charles Austin Dille, Company K, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division. Dille was wounded by a gunshot wound to the right leg on October 5th, 1918 while the 2nd Battalion attempted to take Hills 244 and 223 during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. After being wounded, Dille was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, and in a rare case, he returned to the same company. Dille’s Purple Heart Medal is the earliest issue we have ever offered, being numbered along the rim with 366, an extremely low number. For reference, there were roughly 320,518 Purple Hearts awarded for wounds received during World War I.
The medal is in fantastic shape with virtually no damage to the brooch or ribbon. The planchet is in great condition and the engraving is clear. The number is still clear on the rim as well. The medal comes in an original presentation case. The medal also comes with a great deal of printed research on Dille, including a copy of a photograph of him in uniform.
Charles Austin Dille was born on April 11th, 1896 in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. He first enlisted in Company K, 10th Pennsylvania Infantry, PNG on February 20th, 1914. His unit was redesignated the 110th Infantry Regiment, and he went overseas on May 3rd, 1918, fighting through every bit of combat of the 28th Division. On October 5th, 1918, he was shot in the right leg and sent to a hospital. While in the hospital, on October 26th, 1918, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, and he rejoined his original company. He remained overseas until May 10th, 1919. Dille lived a very long life, passing away on December 26th, 1987 at the age of 91.
This is a fantastic example of a WWI 28th Division Purple Heart, the lowest numbered example we have ever offered. Comes ready for further research and display.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
