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World War I Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. Jake Allex, born Jake Allex Mandusich in Prizren, Kosovo, Serbia (Ottoman Empire), (July 13, 1887 - August 28, 1959) was an American soldier of ethnic Serbian descent who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in the U.S. Army during World War I. He came to the United States in 1912. Before World War I he was a Chicago stockyards policeman.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army from Chicago, and he served during World War I under the name of "Jake Allex" eventually reaching the rank of Sergeant. While a Corporal in Company H, 131st Infantry, 33rd Infantry Division, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery at Chipilly Ridge, France, on August 9, 1918.
His Medal of Honor Citation reads, "At a critical point in the action, when all the officers with his platoon had become casualties, Cpl. Allex took command of the platoon and led it forward until the advance was stopped by fire from a machinegun nest. He then advanced alone for about 30 yards in the face of intense fire and attacked the nest. With his bayonet he killed 5 of the enemy, and when it was broken, used the butt of his rifle, capturing 15 prisoners."
His Medal was personally awarded to him by General John J. Pershing, Commander-in Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces in France, on April 22, 1919 which took place at Ettelbruck in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The entire 33rd Division was assembled and passed in review. In attendance were the Crown Prince Leopold of Belgium, the Honorable Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War, and Major General Keppel-Bethel of the British Expeditionary Forces. Sergeant Ralyn Hill and Corporal Thomas A. Pope also were presented their Medal of Honor during this ceremony.
For this same action Sgt Allex was also awarded the British Distinguished Conduct Medal, the French Medal Militaire, and the French Croix De Guerre. Sgt Allex received at least ten different medals from a total of seven nations.
In 1920 the employees of Morris & Company, where he worked, provided him a trip to Serbia to see his parents in honor of his valor on the battlefield.
He died in Hines Veterans Administration Hospital in 1959.
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