World War II Medal of Honor Recipient. He received the award from President Harry S. Truman at the White House on August 23, 1945, for his actions as a sergeant with Company M, 329th Infantry, 83rd Infantry Division, US Army, on December 14, 1944, near Birgel, Germany. He joined the US Army in March 1943, and after his recruit and combat training, he was sent to the European Theater of Operations. During a German counterattack on that day, one of his legs was severed by enemy fire. However, he continued to operate his machine gun until the German force withdrew. He survived his wounds, although his remaining leg was badly damaged and had to be amputated. He returned to the US for recovery and rehabilitation was promoted to the rank of technical sergeant. Following his discharge in 1946, he returned home and worked for the Veterans Administration and also served for eight years on the Iowa Governor's Committee for the Employment of the Handicapped. He died at the age of 63. His Medal of Honor citation reads: "He was a leader of a machine-gun squad defending an approach to the village of Birgel, Germany, on 14 December 1944, when an enemy tank, supported by 20 infantrymen, counterattacked. He held his fire until the Germans were within 100 yards and then raked the foot soldiers beside the tank, killing several of them. The enemy armor continued to press forward, and, at the point-blank range of 30 yards, fired a high-velocity shell into the American emplacement, wounding the entire squad. Sgt. Neppel, blown 10 yards from his gun, had one leg severed below the knee and suffered other wounds. Despite his injuries and the danger from the onrushing tank and infantry, he dragged himself back to his position on his elbows, remounted his gun, and killed the remaining enemy riflemen. Stripped of its infantry protection, the tank was forced to withdraw. By his superb courage and indomitable fighting spirit, Sgt. Neppel inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy and broke a determined counterattack."