Hometown: Garner, TX
Branch: U.S. Army
Unit: F Troop, 2nd Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment (Special), 5332nd Brigade (Provisional), MARS Task Force
Military Honors: Medal of Honor, Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: February 2, 1945 - KIA near Loi Kang, Burma
Age: 27
Conflict: World War II, 1939-1945

Jack Knight was the oldest of seven children born to Roy Knight Sr. and Martha (Holder) Knight in the unincorporated farm town of Garner, Texas. Born on May 29, 1917, Jack attended elementary school at Valley Springs, then Garner High School, and graduated from nearby Weatherford Junior College in 1938.

He and his brothers Curtis and Lloyd joined the Texas National Guard in November of 1940, as war raged raging in Europe and Asia. The United States would officially enter World War II (1939-1945) a year later.

Jack completed Officer Candidate School at Fort Riley, Kansas in 1943, returning to complete the Officer Advanced Course in 1944. He was assigned as commander of F Troop in the 124th Cavalry Regiment. His brother Curtis served in the same unit as First Sergeant. The 124th had been posted to India in 1940, charged with opening and protecting the strategically crucial Burma Road between India and China.

Allied forces used the Burma Road—winding over Himalayan Mountain peaks rising thousands of feet, through thick jungles, and descending into deep gorges—as a crucial lifeline to supply the ill-equipped Chinese Army.

Knight’s 124th Cavalry Regiment was combined with the 475th Infantry Regiment and a U.S.-trained 1st Chinese Regiment (Separate) to form the “Mars Task Force” in Burma, under the command of Brigadier General John P. Willey. Their mission was to operate around and behind enemy lines to cut off supplies and reinforcements from the Imperial Japanese Army.

In one of the last battles along the Burma Road, 1LT Knight was leading F Troop against heavy concentrations of enemy mortar, artillery, and small-arms fire near Loi Kang. Jack single-handedly knocked out two Japanese pillboxes and killed the occupants of several foxholes. Despite being hit and blinded by a grenade, 1LT Knight pressed the attack. According to the Texas State Historical Association:

Jack’s brother Curtis rushed to his aid but was himself struck down by a Japanese bullet. Jack ordered his men to Curtis’s aid, while he continued to lead the assault until he was mortally wounded. His gallantry was responsible for the elimination of most of the enemy opposition.

Curtis survived and spent four months recovering from his wounds. Jack’s courage would earn him the nation’s highest military honor. His Medal of Honor citation reads:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to First Lieutenant (Cavalry) Jack Llewellyn Knight, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty on 2 February 1945, while serving with 124th Cavalry Regiment, Mars Task Force, in action at Loi-Kang, Burma. First Lieutenant Knight led his cavalry troop against heavy concentrations of enemy mortar, artillery, and small arms fire. After taking the troop’s objective and while making preparations for a defense, he discovered a nest of Japanese pillboxes and foxholes to the right front. Preceding his men by at least ten feet, he immediately led an attack single-handedly he knocked out two enemy pillboxes and killed the occupants of several foxholes. While attempting to knock out a third pillbox, he was struck and blinded by an enemy grenade. Although unable to see, he rallied his platoon and continued forward in the assault on the remaining pillboxes. Before the task was completed he fell mortally wounded. First Lieutenant Knight’s gallantry and intrepidity were responsible for the successful elimination of most of the Jap positions and served as an inspiration to officers and men of his troop.

The Knight family would later sacrifice even more for the cause of freedom. Jack’s younger brother Roy Jr. was a highly decorated fighter pilot in Vietnam, killed in action when he was shot down along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

First Lieutenant Jack L. Knight was 27 years old when he gave “the last full measure of devotion” to his country. He is laid to rest near his hometown in Texas.

Sources
U.S. Army Special Operations History Office: 1LT Jack L. Knight
The United States Army Officer Candidate Schools Alumni Association: First Lieutenant Jack L. Knight
Texas State Historical Association: Knight, Jack L. (1917-1945)
Congressional Medal of Honor Society: Jack Llewellyn Knight
HonorStates.org: Jack Llewellyn Knight
Military Times—The Wall of Honor: Jack Llewellyn Knight
Burial Site: Find a Grave