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Medal of Honor Recipients
- Thread starter That Guy
- Start date
![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
A podcast detailing the MOH action of (then) Capt. Duffy:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kANVT82gkmE
tuna
NES Member
Lawmakers seek to rescind Medals of Honor from soldiers who carried out Wounded Knee massacre
The Wounded Knee Medals of Honor would be posthumously rescinded
www.foxnews.com
Now they want to rescind MOH from soldiers who were at Wounded Knee. More political hand wringing to appease those who lost the war.
GaryO
NES Member
Oh for f***s sake, can they just stop rewriting history?Lawmakers seek to rescind Medals of Honor from soldiers who carried out Wounded Knee massacre
The Wounded Knee Medals of Honor would be posthumously rescinded
Now they want to rescind MOH from soldiers who were at Wounded Knee. More political hand wringing to appease those who lost the war.
wtf you trying to do to me?Lawmakers seek to rescind Medals of Honor from soldiers who carried out Wounded Knee massacre
The Wounded Knee Medals of Honor would be posthumously rescinded
Now they want to rescind MOH from soldiers who were at Wounded Knee. More political hand wringing to appease those who lost the war.
No f***ing way!
Rat187
NES Member
Start watching @7.05. Saw this stunning video last night, out of 420 Rangers (US/ARVN) inserted, 41 survived, two including. him not wounded, took on 5000 NVA crack troops for 4 days until both sides ran out of ammo.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uIvz6r2qds&t=425s
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uIvz6r2qds&t=425s
Read the caption.
Rat187
NES Member
Damn I missed this,
Researching the TET-68 battles my unit was in direct support of, along Highway 1 between Tan Son Nuit and Cu Chi, I ran across Dwight Birdwell's book: A Hundred Miles of Bad Road: An Armored Cavalryman in Vietnam 1967-68 Paperback – June 15, 2000
back in 2000, which filled in a lot of memory holes for many of us. Glad he won the MOH, but I believe know what he's thinking as 'Corn Pop'...
Rat187
NES Member
Dwight's most poignant verse in the book is saved for assault on MSR 1, Hoc-mon to the 'Red-Dog Inn' 4 kick TET-68 road to hell. The Cav trooper he personally witnessed a trooper refusing to abandon his position on a tank/ APC, after everyone had bailed under a maelstrom of recoilless rifle, and RPG fire coming from a failed N/S attack in the third week of heavy fighting. He witnessed armored units reversing over 'legs' to escape the kill zone. This MAN alone never abandoned his untenable position and was only killed after his .50 Cal ran out of ammo and he was last seen mag dumping NVA swarming over his APC. Yea, I know what MOH recipient's thinking....never left me.
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If you ever took the time to read some of the MOH citation from Wounded Knee, you would probably agree that they were not deserved.Lawmakers seek to rescind Medals of Honor from soldiers who carried out Wounded Knee massacre
The Wounded Knee Medals of Honor would be posthumously rescinded
Now they want to rescind MOH from soldiers who were at Wounded Knee. More political hand wringing to appease those who lost the war.
"Conspicuous bravery in bringing back to the picket line a run away pack mule"
A snapshot of time and circumstance. This is before motor vehicles; pack mules were worth their weight in gold. Saving one from death/the enemy could be life saving for the soldiers giving the right circumstance. What was the mule carrying. Add hostilities and it is possible.
I wouldn't judge unless I knew a shitload more. Also, these acts of bravery are not to be judge against each other. Not a rant.
Yeah, I get that, but even so: it's not MOH-worthy. A LOT of the MOHes before WWI would never come close to the MOH subsequently. It's not because mules were important: it's because, at that time, the MOH was almost literally the only valor award available to give.
I'd support rescinding those IF there had been a secondary award available then. Since there usually wasn't, I think it's wrong to second-guess the recipients. I think we're all better off if we just agree to accept the elephant in the room: we should admit, publicly, that the MOH has not always meant what it means today. They changed the eligibility when they passed sec. 8291 in 1918.
Contrast that to the Victoria Cross, which has been nearly impossible to earn since the day it was created, and whose standards have never really changed. That's why there have only been 1,356 VC awards since 1857. In slightly less time, there've been 3,515 MOH recipients. And it's not because the British had less opportunity: they fought more or less continuously in their colonies up until the late 1950s.
Revisionist revoking of awards is a slippery slope and I am sure some would love to push the military down that slope. You're not wrong.
Look up the Korean Expedition of 1871. I'd never heard of it until today. The US sent 650 men to handle a diplomatic crisis with the Koreans. We lost a total of three killed and ten wounded, and we ended up losing. Our involvement lasted about 33 days.
Not exactly a massive conflict with lots and lots of danger.
And yet they gave out FIFTEEN medals of honor for that. For feats such as taking soundings while under fire (which sailors have been doing ever since gunpowder), being "severely wounded in the arm," taking an enemy's weapon out of his hands, taking over a company after the CO was wounded, and "setting an example of gallant and meritorious conduct."
Nope. Nope nope nope. Most of those would not even be Silver Star-worthy in any subsequent war.
They did award one for capturing the enemy's flag, which was for many years a very very brave thing to do. But in this case, after climbing a wall and bayoneting a few Korean conscripts, all Corporal Hugh Purvis had to do was lower a halyard. A couple of his buddies got it too, for helping him...
ETA: Oh. Almost forgot: the Koreans were using matchlocks. Matchlocks. In 1871.
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You are confusing me. Are you saying they should be revoked?
Take the citations as they are written to be the .mils way of putting their written prose forward in recognizing the valiant act. Basically, it is the equivalent of AP/Reuters of the military telling you what happened. Again, at that time in those circumstances.
I would probably not revoke them, but I would admit that they are of lesser status than later awards. I'm not sure how to do that; maybe something like an asterisk.
To be fair, revisionists have routinely met to upgrade awards to the MOH (or other decorations) from previous wars. Philosophically, it should be possible to downgrade awards from the MOH. It's possibly a worthwhile conversation to have, in the interest of keeping the MOH's prestige. In the past, we've even converted past awards to a medal that didn't even exist at that time, like when we took all the Mentions In Dispatches and turned them into Silver Stars even though the SS hadn't been developed yet.
It's not without precedent. Whether it's worth doing? That's another matter.
tuna
NES Member
The thing is though, that they’re not pushing for all MoHs to be reduced, which admittedly could be argued. They’re pushing for the reduction of those given at Wounded Knee, cause “massacre”.
I guess only white settler women and children could be killed, that’s ok because of white priv. When the whites did it it was bad. More wokeism.
I guess only white settler women and children could be killed, that’s ok because of white priv. When the whites did it it was bad. More wokeism.
![[halfmast]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/040.gif "Half Mast [halfmast]")
The new Medal of Honor Museum, under construction in Texas, posts 'on this day' memorials of recipients as they gather and compile it on their system. It is a great way to keep up with the construction. They do a great job of remembering the reason for museum. Matt.
View: https://www.instagram.com/p/CsmTr-vPyvM/
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On this date* in 1968, John Kedenburg (CCN MACV SOG) earned the Medal of Honor (posthumously).
www.cmohs.org
*There seems to a disparity on the interweb about his date of death.
From what I was able to gather, his MOH action occurred on the 13th, but his body was not recovered until the 14th, so that might explain it?
Before I began student teaching, I had an interview with the school principal.
Behind his desk was a framed impression of John Kedenburg's name from The Wall.
I asked him what the significance of the name was.
He told me that they were friends in Special Forces.
I mentioned that I recognized the name as a Medal of Honor recipient.
My interview (and the time at the school) went very well after that.
John James Kedenburg | Vietnam War | U.S. Army | Medal of Honor Recipient
U.S. Army Specialist Fifth Class John James Kedenburg was posthumously presented the Medal of Honor for military valor during the Vietnam War.
www.cmohs.org
*There seems to a disparity on the interweb about his date of death.
From what I was able to gather, his MOH action occurred on the 13th, but his body was not recovered until the 14th, so that might explain it?
Before I began student teaching, I had an interview with the school principal.
Behind his desk was a framed impression of John Kedenburg's name from The Wall.
I asked him what the significance of the name was.
He told me that they were friends in Special Forces.
I mentioned that I recognized the name as a Medal of Honor recipient.
My interview (and the time at the school) went very well after that.
On this date* in 1968, John Kedenburg (CCN MACV SOG) earned the Medal of Honor (posthumously).
John James Kedenburg | Vietnam War | U.S. Army | Medal of Honor Recipient
U.S. Army Specialist Fifth Class John James Kedenburg was posthumously presented the Medal of Honor for military valor during the Vietnam War.
*There seems to a disparity on the interweb about his date of death.
From what I was able to gather, his MOH action occurred on the 13th, but his body was not recovered until the 14th, so that might explain it?
Before I began student teaching, I had an interview with the school principal.
Behind his desk was a framed impression of John Kedenburg's name from The Wall.
I asked him what the significance of the name was.
He told me that they were friends in Special Forces.
I mentioned that I recognized the name as a Medal of Honor recipient.
My interview (and the time at the school) went very well after that.
I used to commute along Kedenburg St every morning on Ft Bragg. It becomes Ardennes Street, which is better known to most Division guys.
Cap'n Mike
NES Member
From one of the SOG books I read, I believe he was still alive and fighting when he was last seen on the 13th.
Those SOG guys were giants.
Im suprised that Citation location isnt "West of Insert name of A Camp Vietnam", because I beleive he was in Laos.
From an account written by Sherman Batman of Spike Team Illinois, the team who recovered Kedenburg's body:
Some online sources state he was killed in "Vietnam", others sources state "Vietnam/Laos", and still others as "Laos", but from what we know about most MACV SOG missions we can presume it was Laos.
Rat187
NES Member
Some of my most brutal memories in UH1C gunships were in Song Be province trying to provide fire support to encircled SOG teams through 300' triple canopy jungle, absolutely no fire reference points, just a scattered red smoke fog. Couldn't see the team couldn't see the enemy...Make us sick
graphite
NES Member
I wanted to post this yesterday on the anniversary of the event but was travelling back from vacation.
I first learned of this recipient when I was a young private and stepped on my dick in the first couple of months at my first unit.
In addition to being rewarded for my transgressions with 30 days restriction & 30 days extra duty, our 1st Sgt. thought a great way to rehabilitate my sorry ass was to have me go before the soldier of the month board! (Because they were ordered to send SOMEBODY, and NOBODY wanted to sit in front of a board and answer questions - the reaction was essentially, "Sarge, you nominated ME for soldier of month?! What the hell did I ever do to you to deserve this?!!", it was not considered an honor.)
So since I wasn't going anywhere but the barracks and the orderly room during my 30 days, the PLT Sgt. handed me a 2 inch thick book of information to study that would be the source of questions from the NCOs sitting on the board. In it was the details of Sgt. Hulon B. Whittington's actions and I later learned that EVERY soldier that went before the board was asked who he was and what they knew about him as we served in the same regiment as he had in WWII - 41st Infantry Regiment "Straight and Stalwart", 2nd Armored Division "Hell On Wheels".
His citation and info are below (and then some links, and if interested, a video I found about WW2 that details the events of a sister unit only 5-6 miles away the day before Sgt. Whittington's actions for which another soldier was awarded the DSC):
Hulon Brooke Whittington | World War II | U.S. Army | Medal of Honor Recipient
DETAILS
CITATION
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On the night of 29 July 1944, near Grimesnil, France, during an enemy armored attack, Sgt. Whittington, a squad leader, assumed command of his platoon when the platoon leader and platoon sergeant became missing in action. He reorganized the defense and, under fire, courageously crawled between gun positions to check the actions of his men. When the advancing enemy attempted to penetrate a roadblock, Sgt. Whittington, completely disregarding intense enemy action, mounted a tank and, by shouting through the turret, directed it into position to fire point-blank at the leading Mark V German tank. The destruction of this vehicle blocked all movement of the remaining enemy column consisting of over 100 vehicles of a Panzer unit. The blocked vehicles were then destroyed by hand grenades, bazooka, tank, and artillery fire, and large numbers of enemy personnel were wiped out by a bold and resolute bayonet charge inspired by Sgt. Whittington. When the medical aidman had become a casualty, Sgt. Whittington personally administered first aid to his wounded men. The dynamic leadership, the inspiring example, and the dauntless courage of Sgt. Whittington, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.
Hulon B. Whittington - Wikipedia
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
Hulon Brocke Whittington (July 9, 1921 – January 17, 1969) was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.
Biography[edit]
Whittington joined the Army from Bastrop, Louisiana in August 1940, and by July 29, 1944 was serving as a Sergeant in the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Division. On that day, near Grimesnil, France, he assumed command of his platoon and led it in a successful defense against a German armored attack. For his actions during the battle, he was awarded the Medal of Honor nine months later, on April 23, 1945.
Whittington became a commissioned officer in 1949 and reached the rank of major in 1960. While serving in Vietnam as an ARVN ordnance advisor, he suffered a heart attack, forcing him to retire. He died at age 47 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia
https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/NCO-Journal/Archives/2015/July/This-Month-In-NCO-History-July-29-1944/
Army University Press description of his CMOH actions:
Sgt. Hulon B. Whittington didn’t flinch when 2,500 German troops overran the roadblock he was manning near the village of Grimesnil, France.
Whittington was 23 years old and serving with the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Armored Division seven weeks after D-Day. The clock had trudged past midnight on July 29, 1944, when a 100-vehicle Panzer unit reached the outskirts of town. The unit was part of the last vestiges of a hasty German retreat from Coutances to the northwest that American forces had secured the previous day. The Germans were headed south on orders to block any further American advance to Avranches. They had suffered huge losses on the Cotentin Peninsula because of the Operation Cobra. The Allied offensive was punctuated by a four-hour air barrage that destroyed more than 350 tanks and other vehicles that were halted during a stalled retreat near Roncey.
That meant the German troops who ran into Whittington and his fellow Soldiers in the early morning hours were tired, desperate and defiant. They fought as such, parlaying their frustration into a near rout of the American defenders. But Whittington was undaunted, and by the end of the attack his actions would be worthy of the nation’s highest honor.
With his platoon leader and platoon sergeant missing in action, Whittington took charge, according to his Medal of Honor citation. The attack in full swing, Whittington reorganized his unit’s defensive perimeter. He then crawled between gun positions to check on his fellow Soldiers while under heavy German fire. Suddenly, a German Mark V tank, famously known as a Panther, at the head of the convoy made a beeline toward Whittington’s line. He jumped onto an American tank that had been immobilized and shouted through the turret to direct fire for the crew inside. The crew fired point blank at the Panther, destroying it. The resulting wreckage left the rest of the German column at a standstill.
Whittington then led a bayonet charge against the stalled Germans. The Americans followed him, using hand grenades, bazookas and tank fire to destroy more of the enemy vehicles as they went. Eventually, artillery units joined the fight and the destruction of the German convoy was completed.
But Whittington wasn’t done. After learning that his unit’s medical corpsman was struck by enemy fire, Whittington administered first aid to the wounded. His impact during and after the battle was a stellar display of “the dynamic leadership, the inspiring example, and the dauntless courage,” worthy of the Medal of Honor. Whittington was decorated with the medal April 23, 1945.
Whittington was born July 9, 1921, in Bogalusa, La. He enlisted in the Army in August 1940 in Bastrop, La. Whittington became a commissioned officer in 1949 and reached the rank of major in 1960. He died Jan. 17, 1969, in Toledo, Ohio. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~gaschley/medalofhonor.htm
Excerpt detailing where he fought and the actions that earned him his Silver Star:
https://www.toledoblade.com/Culture/2013/09/18/3-Medal-of-Honor-recipients-added-to-Lucas-Co-plaque-Copy.html
Excerpt from his hometown newspaper quoting his daughter:
Mr. Whittington, who went by the name of Rocky, earned the Medal of Honor in World War II for his efforts during a tank infantry battle at Grimesnil, France, on July 29, 1944. As a sergeant, he was the one who led a platoon credited with killing 250 Nazi troops, destroying or capturing 104 tanks and vehicles in a Panzer Unit, and taking 172 prisoners. His platoon lost 51 of 59 soldiers. He was wounded in battle the next month.
A native of Louisiana, he was the first Medal of Honor winner to re-enlist in the Army and remained in the military until 1963, when he retired with the rank of major after suffering a heart attack in Vietnam. Mr. Whittington and his wife, who grew up West Toledo, relocated to Toledo.
He took a job as an investigator with the county welfare department. He died in 1969.
He served as the model for the 13-foot limestone G.I. Joe statue at the American Legion headquarters in Washington.
Roxanne Jones, one of Mr. Whittington’s five children, attended the ceremony. She said her father kept his combat experiences to himself.
“I think that it is just amazing to me that many [Medal of Honor recipients] don’t talk about it,” said Mrs. Jones, 66, of Wood County’s Middleton Township. “They don’t like the recognition. If [my father] was here to be honored today, he would have been humbled by this.”
View: https://youtu.be/xOxz2evIQI0
I first learned of this recipient when I was a young private and stepped on my dick in the first couple of months at my first unit.
In addition to being rewarded for my transgressions with 30 days restriction & 30 days extra duty, our 1st Sgt. thought a great way to rehabilitate my sorry ass was to have me go before the soldier of the month board! (Because they were ordered to send SOMEBODY, and NOBODY wanted to sit in front of a board and answer questions - the reaction was essentially, "Sarge, you nominated ME for soldier of month?! What the hell did I ever do to you to deserve this?!!", it was not considered an honor.)
So since I wasn't going anywhere but the barracks and the orderly room during my 30 days, the PLT Sgt. handed me a 2 inch thick book of information to study that would be the source of questions from the NCOs sitting on the board. In it was the details of Sgt. Hulon B. Whittington's actions and I later learned that EVERY soldier that went before the board was asked who he was and what they knew about him as we served in the same regiment as he had in WWII - 41st Infantry Regiment "Straight and Stalwart", 2nd Armored Division "Hell On Wheels".
His citation and info are below (and then some links, and if interested, a video I found about WW2 that details the events of a sister unit only 5-6 miles away the day before Sgt. Whittington's actions for which another soldier was awarded the DSC):
Hulon Brooke Whittington | World War II | U.S. Army | Medal of Honor Recipient
World War II - U.S. Army
HULON BROCKE WHITTINGTON
DETAILS
- RANK: SERGEANT (HIGHEST RANK: MAJOR)
- CONFLICT/ERA: WORLD WAR II
- UNIT/COMMAND:
41ST ARMORED INFANTRY,
2D ARMORED DIVISION - MILITARY SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. ARMY
- MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: JULY 29, 1944
- MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE: NEAR GRIMESNIL, FRANCE
CITATION
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On the night of 29 July 1944, near Grimesnil, France, during an enemy armored attack, Sgt. Whittington, a squad leader, assumed command of his platoon when the platoon leader and platoon sergeant became missing in action. He reorganized the defense and, under fire, courageously crawled between gun positions to check the actions of his men. When the advancing enemy attempted to penetrate a roadblock, Sgt. Whittington, completely disregarding intense enemy action, mounted a tank and, by shouting through the turret, directed it into position to fire point-blank at the leading Mark V German tank. The destruction of this vehicle blocked all movement of the remaining enemy column consisting of over 100 vehicles of a Panzer unit. The blocked vehicles were then destroyed by hand grenades, bazooka, tank, and artillery fire, and large numbers of enemy personnel were wiped out by a bold and resolute bayonet charge inspired by Sgt. Whittington. When the medical aidman had become a casualty, Sgt. Whittington personally administered first aid to his wounded men. The dynamic leadership, the inspiring example, and the dauntless courage of Sgt. Whittington, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.
- ACCREDITED TO: BASTROP, MOREHOUSE PARISH, LOUISIANA
- AWARDED POSTHUMOUSLY: NO
- PRESENTATION DATE & DETAILS: APRIL 1945
BROOK'S GENERAL HOSPITAL, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, BY GEN. LUCAS - BORN: JULY 9, 1921, BOGALUSA, WASHINGTON PARISH, LA, UNITED STATES
- DIED: JANUARY 17, 1969, TOLEDO, OH, UNITED STATES
- BURIED: ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY (13-8-W), ARLINGTON, VA, UNITED STATES
Hulon B. Whittington - Wikipedia
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
Hulon Brocke Whittington (July 9, 1921 – January 17, 1969) was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.
Biography[edit]
Whittington joined the Army from Bastrop, Louisiana in August 1940, and by July 29, 1944 was serving as a Sergeant in the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Division. On that day, near Grimesnil, France, he assumed command of his platoon and led it in a successful defense against a German armored attack. For his actions during the battle, he was awarded the Medal of Honor nine months later, on April 23, 1945.
Whittington became a commissioned officer in 1949 and reached the rank of major in 1960. While serving in Vietnam as an ARVN ordnance advisor, he suffered a heart attack, forcing him to retire. He died at age 47 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia
https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/NCO-Journal/Archives/2015/July/This-Month-In-NCO-History-July-29-1944/
Army University Press description of his CMOH actions:
Sgt. Hulon B. Whittington didn’t flinch when 2,500 German troops overran the roadblock he was manning near the village of Grimesnil, France.
Whittington was 23 years old and serving with the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Armored Division seven weeks after D-Day. The clock had trudged past midnight on July 29, 1944, when a 100-vehicle Panzer unit reached the outskirts of town. The unit was part of the last vestiges of a hasty German retreat from Coutances to the northwest that American forces had secured the previous day. The Germans were headed south on orders to block any further American advance to Avranches. They had suffered huge losses on the Cotentin Peninsula because of the Operation Cobra. The Allied offensive was punctuated by a four-hour air barrage that destroyed more than 350 tanks and other vehicles that were halted during a stalled retreat near Roncey.
That meant the German troops who ran into Whittington and his fellow Soldiers in the early morning hours were tired, desperate and defiant. They fought as such, parlaying their frustration into a near rout of the American defenders. But Whittington was undaunted, and by the end of the attack his actions would be worthy of the nation’s highest honor.
With his platoon leader and platoon sergeant missing in action, Whittington took charge, according to his Medal of Honor citation. The attack in full swing, Whittington reorganized his unit’s defensive perimeter. He then crawled between gun positions to check on his fellow Soldiers while under heavy German fire. Suddenly, a German Mark V tank, famously known as a Panther, at the head of the convoy made a beeline toward Whittington’s line. He jumped onto an American tank that had been immobilized and shouted through the turret to direct fire for the crew inside. The crew fired point blank at the Panther, destroying it. The resulting wreckage left the rest of the German column at a standstill.
Whittington then led a bayonet charge against the stalled Germans. The Americans followed him, using hand grenades, bazookas and tank fire to destroy more of the enemy vehicles as they went. Eventually, artillery units joined the fight and the destruction of the German convoy was completed.
But Whittington wasn’t done. After learning that his unit’s medical corpsman was struck by enemy fire, Whittington administered first aid to the wounded. His impact during and after the battle was a stellar display of “the dynamic leadership, the inspiring example, and the dauntless courage,” worthy of the Medal of Honor. Whittington was decorated with the medal April 23, 1945.
Whittington was born July 9, 1921, in Bogalusa, La. He enlisted in the Army in August 1940 in Bastrop, La. Whittington became a commissioned officer in 1949 and reached the rank of major in 1960. He died Jan. 17, 1969, in Toledo, Ohio. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~gaschley/medalofhonor.htm
Excerpt detailing where he fought and the actions that earned him his Silver Star:
Leaving these shores for duty overseas on October 27, 1942, Whittington landed with General Patton's troops on November 7, 1942, D-Day at Casablanca. He saw action at Meknes, French Morocco, and again in Algeria. Then came Tunisia and D-Day, July 10th, 1943 at Sicily.
It was while in combat in Sicily with Co. "H", 1st Bn., 41st Armored Division that Sergeant Whittington was first wounded on July 27th, 1943; not seriously, but enough to put him in the hospital. Events leading up to the incident in which Whittington was hit by shell fragments during action that earned for him and one of his comrades the Silver Star, follow:
The American forces were thrusting a spearhead through a pass between two mountains in Sicily in their advance to Palermo. Whittington and Sergeant George Vercher of Lena Station, Louisiana were members of an advance party. Half of the advance took the right section of the thrust and Whittington and Vercher and their men took the left. Coming out of the pass, about 2 o'clock in the morning the men met up with the enemy who opened fire with two machine guns, an anti-tank gun, four field pieces of the 100 mm type and various other support. Though Whittington and Vercher had expected opposition at any time and were ready with their guns and grenades, they no idea what really lay before them. Besides the artillery mentioned, there was a pill-box and an ammunition dump in the vicinity. When the enemy opened up, Whittington and Vercher leading their squad, let go with rifle fire and started tossing their grenades. One of Whittington's grenades, aptly aimed at a field piece, lodged in the muzzle of the cannon and put it out of commission for the time. A tracer bullet from the M-1 rifle fired by Sergeant Whittington was credited with having set off the ammunition dump. Whittington doesn't remember events any too well after that for shell fragments hit him in his right shoulder and right leg.
Support came up from behind resulting in a through job of clearing the pas for advancing Americans. Remaining enemy soldiers including some Italians, and enemy wounded were taken prisoners.
Whittington was taken back to scene later with the battalion commander and the action which had taken place was reviewed. Amazement was expressed not only by the battalion commander but by many others as to how it could have been possible for the two men and their squad to accomplish the difficult task which they had faced. The marvel is that such a feat did not seem possible without the aid of artillery support.
While Whittington was in an Italian hospital at Castlebeltrana which had been taken over by an American medical unit after the hazardous action in the pass approaching Palermo, he had a little time to think. And his thoughts took him back to his comrades on the front line. Within five days of his admission to the hospital, he had slipped away to join his unit as they advanced to Palermo. While on the way, Whittington and Vercher were taken out of the line and returned to headquarters for the presentation of the Silver Star by Major General Maurice Rose. The men again joined their comrades and went on to take Palermo. They stayed in Sicily after its liberation to police up, and did not go into action in Italy.
"In November," remarked Whittington, "the unit was ordered back to England and for five long months we took some of the hardest training some us had ever had. This was in preparation for the invasion of Normandy." Landing according to schedule on D-Day plus 3, at Omaha Beach, the American forces then thrust their way inward into France.
It was in action at St. Dennis, France, as a member of Co. "I", 41st Armored Regiment, 2nd Armored Division while Sergeant Whittington was acting as platoon leader--the Lieutenant in command having been reported missing--that the work Whittington did, initiated for him, the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award that can be bestowed upon a member of the Armed Forces by the United States of America.
Seven days later on the 6th of August, at Boucage, France, Sergeant Whittington was again wounded, this time by mortar shell fire which struck him in the back and stomach and definitely put him out of the fighting.
It was while in combat in Sicily with Co. "H", 1st Bn., 41st Armored Division that Sergeant Whittington was first wounded on July 27th, 1943; not seriously, but enough to put him in the hospital. Events leading up to the incident in which Whittington was hit by shell fragments during action that earned for him and one of his comrades the Silver Star, follow:
The American forces were thrusting a spearhead through a pass between two mountains in Sicily in their advance to Palermo. Whittington and Sergeant George Vercher of Lena Station, Louisiana were members of an advance party. Half of the advance took the right section of the thrust and Whittington and Vercher and their men took the left. Coming out of the pass, about 2 o'clock in the morning the men met up with the enemy who opened fire with two machine guns, an anti-tank gun, four field pieces of the 100 mm type and various other support. Though Whittington and Vercher had expected opposition at any time and were ready with their guns and grenades, they no idea what really lay before them. Besides the artillery mentioned, there was a pill-box and an ammunition dump in the vicinity. When the enemy opened up, Whittington and Vercher leading their squad, let go with rifle fire and started tossing their grenades. One of Whittington's grenades, aptly aimed at a field piece, lodged in the muzzle of the cannon and put it out of commission for the time. A tracer bullet from the M-1 rifle fired by Sergeant Whittington was credited with having set off the ammunition dump. Whittington doesn't remember events any too well after that for shell fragments hit him in his right shoulder and right leg.
Support came up from behind resulting in a through job of clearing the pas for advancing Americans. Remaining enemy soldiers including some Italians, and enemy wounded were taken prisoners.
Whittington was taken back to scene later with the battalion commander and the action which had taken place was reviewed. Amazement was expressed not only by the battalion commander but by many others as to how it could have been possible for the two men and their squad to accomplish the difficult task which they had faced. The marvel is that such a feat did not seem possible without the aid of artillery support.
While Whittington was in an Italian hospital at Castlebeltrana which had been taken over by an American medical unit after the hazardous action in the pass approaching Palermo, he had a little time to think. And his thoughts took him back to his comrades on the front line. Within five days of his admission to the hospital, he had slipped away to join his unit as they advanced to Palermo. While on the way, Whittington and Vercher were taken out of the line and returned to headquarters for the presentation of the Silver Star by Major General Maurice Rose. The men again joined their comrades and went on to take Palermo. They stayed in Sicily after its liberation to police up, and did not go into action in Italy.
"In November," remarked Whittington, "the unit was ordered back to England and for five long months we took some of the hardest training some us had ever had. This was in preparation for the invasion of Normandy." Landing according to schedule on D-Day plus 3, at Omaha Beach, the American forces then thrust their way inward into France.
It was in action at St. Dennis, France, as a member of Co. "I", 41st Armored Regiment, 2nd Armored Division while Sergeant Whittington was acting as platoon leader--the Lieutenant in command having been reported missing--that the work Whittington did, initiated for him, the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award that can be bestowed upon a member of the Armed Forces by the United States of America.
Seven days later on the 6th of August, at Boucage, France, Sergeant Whittington was again wounded, this time by mortar shell fire which struck him in the back and stomach and definitely put him out of the fighting.
https://www.toledoblade.com/Culture/2013/09/18/3-Medal-of-Honor-recipients-added-to-Lucas-Co-plaque-Copy.html
Excerpt from his hometown newspaper quoting his daughter:
Mr. Whittington, who went by the name of Rocky, earned the Medal of Honor in World War II for his efforts during a tank infantry battle at Grimesnil, France, on July 29, 1944. As a sergeant, he was the one who led a platoon credited with killing 250 Nazi troops, destroying or capturing 104 tanks and vehicles in a Panzer Unit, and taking 172 prisoners. His platoon lost 51 of 59 soldiers. He was wounded in battle the next month.
A native of Louisiana, he was the first Medal of Honor winner to re-enlist in the Army and remained in the military until 1963, when he retired with the rank of major after suffering a heart attack in Vietnam. Mr. Whittington and his wife, who grew up West Toledo, relocated to Toledo.
He took a job as an investigator with the county welfare department. He died in 1969.
He served as the model for the 13-foot limestone G.I. Joe statue at the American Legion headquarters in Washington.
Roxanne Jones, one of Mr. Whittington’s five children, attended the ceremony. She said her father kept his combat experiences to himself.
“I think that it is just amazing to me that many [Medal of Honor recipients] don’t talk about it,” said Mrs. Jones, 66, of Wood County’s Middleton Township. “They don’t like the recognition. If [my father] was here to be honored today, he would have been humbled by this.”
View: https://youtu.be/xOxz2evIQI0
Today is the 81st anniversary of USCG Signalman 1st Class Munro's MOH (posthumous) action during the Guadalcanal Campaign.
Not a lot of people know that on that day, Munro saved Chesty Puller (and a good portion of 1st Bn. 7th Marines) during operations near the Matanikau River.
Semper Fidelis (Paratus)!
Not a lot of people know that on that day, Munro saved Chesty Puller (and a good portion of 1st Bn. 7th Marines) during operations near the Matanikau River.
Semper Fidelis (Paratus)!
