Tag: Congressional Medal of HonorThese items have all been tagged with the tag "Congressional Medal of Honor", You can see other tags in the Tag Cloud
Macario Garcia TX6227
Macario García was born on January 2, 1920, in Villa de Castaño, Mexico, to Luciano and Josefa García. The family moved to Fort Bend County, Texas, in 1923 to pick crops in Sugar Land. In 1942, Macario García was drafted into the U.S. Army to fight in World War II. He was wounded in action at Normandy in June 1944 but recovered and rejoined his unit, Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. In November 1944 at Grosshau, Germany, García destroyed two German machine-gun emplacements; although wounded, he secured his company's position. For his actions, García received the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman in a White House ceremony on August 23, 1945. He also received other commendations, including the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart and the Medal Mérito Militar, the Mexican equivalent of the U.S. Medal of Honor. In Texas in September 1945, García was denied service at a local restaurant because he was Hispanic. He was ultimately arrested. Indicative of the treatment many minority veterans received following military service, García's case became highly visible in the early years of the American Civil Rights movement, and several groups including LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) came to his aid. On June 25, 1947, García became a U.S. citizen. He worked for the Veterans Administration for 25 years and served in the U.S. Army Reserves, attaining the rank of Command Sergeant Major. He died in a car accident in 1972 and is buried in the Houston National Cemetery. A Houston Army Reserve Center and a school is Sugar Land are also named in his honor.
Marion County Veterans Memorial IL508
For All Wars Dedicated to the Veterans of Marion County on Memorial Day 1997. Day is done. Gone the sun. From the lake, from the hill, From the sky, All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. MARION COUNTY, ILLINOIS CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS Marcellus J. Newman............Civil War Elbridge Robinson..............Civil War James L. Hull...........Spanish American Robert H. McCord....................WWII Robert L. Wilson....................WWII In memory of Kenneth C. Carpenter Without whom this Memorial would still be a dream.
General William Dean IL478
General Dean, a native of Carlyle was a prisoner of War for three years during the Korean War. Honored by the United States, General Dean received the Distinguished Service Medal and the Congressional Medal of Honor. In 1973, the General William Dean Suspension Bridge was added to the Federal Register of National Historic Places.
Wayne County Honor Roll IL419 World War I In honor of those men and women of Wayne County who served during World War I, the following names, being those who were killed in action or died in service during the period of hostilities, are here inscribed.
[I apologize, for I did not retain the WWII names listed on two large plaques under the arch.] In Honor of those men and women of Wayne County who served during the Korean War, the following names, being those who were killed in action or died in service during the period of hostilities, are here inscribed. BONE, CHARLES E. BORAH, JOHN MANLEY BULLARD, JERAL H. SCOTT, ROBERT D. SHREVE, HAROLD R. |
In honor and memory of these men from Wayne County who died while serving their country during the period of hostilities.
Michael Dale Dawson
David Mark Maymon
Thomas Michael McDaniel
James Everett Pennington
Leonard Jeffery Richardson
Gayland Omer Scott
Kenneth Wayne Seidel
Earl S. Shelton
James Verdell Soloman
Kenneth Deane Thomas, Jr.
John R. Walter
KENNETH M. KAYS
1949 - 1991
Congressional Medal of Honor
Class of 1967.
PVT. BILLIE GENE KANELL
35th Infantry Regiment
25th Infantry Division - Company I
Korean War
Awarded the
Congressional Medal Of Honor
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And to all the servicemen
of Butler County Missouri
who made the supreme sacrifice
for Democracy.
President Harry Truman awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously, to Private Billie Gene Kanell of Poplar Bluff, Mo.
“Billie Gene” was born June 26, 1931, in Poplar Bluff, the son of John and Iva Kanell. He was the second son in a family of nine children. His sister described him as the older brother who took care of the younger children, putting bandages on knees, checking bicycle tires and gently resolving youthful disagreements.
When the Korean War began in the summer of 1950, 19-year-old Billie Gene responded quickly to his nation’s call. He was trained as a rifleman, placed in the 25th Infantry and took ship to Korea. There was a brief pause in Hawaii where Private Kanell celebrated his 20th birthday. He was no longer a teenager.
Eleven days later, he was engaged in combat in Korea.
By September of 1951, there was especially hard fighting north of Seoul. On Sept. 7, Kanell and two comrades were in a bunker on Hill 717 which came under a severe attack. Enemy soldiers fought right up to their bunker – and a hand grenade landed at their feet.
Without hesitation, Kanell grabbed the grenade with both hands, pulled it tightly against his chest, and fell to the ground, taking the full forge of the explosion. Although terribly wounded and lying on the ground with fighting raging around him, he saw a second grenade land in the bunker.
With all of his remaining strength, he reached out and pulled the grenade in against his body as it exploded. It was an act of incredible self-sacrifice – which cost him his life but saved the lives of his friends.
For his actions, he received the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military recognition.
This park, on the site of a Winnebago village, commemorates an heroic descendant of those people, Corporal Mitchell Red Cloud, Jr. Fighting in Korea in 1950 as a member of the 34th Army division, Corporal Red Cloud bravely held off an enemy attack with machine gun fire until his death, thereby saving the lives of many of his comrades. Posthumously he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Part of this area once was owned by "Buffalo Bill" Cody, famous frontier scout, and his friend White Beaver (Dr. Frank Powell), who served four terms as mayor of La Crosse in the 1880's and 1890's. Dr. Powell received the name White Beaver from Sioux Chief Rocky Bear for saving the life of his daughter. He was made chief Medicine Man of the Winnebago Nation in 1876 after successfully treating Chief Wee-Noo-Sheik.
Master Sergeant Melvin O. Handrich of the U.S. Army was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his courageous action in battle near Sobuk San Mountain, Korea on August 25-26, 1950.
Handrich was born in Manawa, Wisconsin on January 26, 1919 and received the country's highest military award for his conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty in battle.
Near midnight on August 25, 1950 the enemy attempted to infiltrate Handrich's company's perimeter. Despite heavy enemy fire, he left the safety of his position and moved forward to direct artillery fire against the enemy. At the peak of the action, he observed his company preparing to withdraw. He made his way across the fire-swept terrain to reorganize the men to continue the fight. Despite being severely wounded, Handrich refused to be evacuated and continued to direct artillery fire. His position was eventually overrun and he was mortally wounded.
Master Sergeant Melvin O. Handrich's bravery, courage and self-sacrifice reflect glory upon himself and the heroic tradition of the military service.
Wisconsin Historical Society.
It was here that Major Richard 1. Bong was born, received his education, and grew to manhood. After attending Superior State College where he received his first pilot training, he joined the u.s. Army Air Corps on May 29, 1941. Assigned to the New Guinea combat theater of operations on September 5, 1942, he quickly proved his mastery in the air by shooting down two enemy aircraft in his first air battle. By destroying a total of forty enemy aircraft in air combat he became America's leading air ace of all time. Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by a grateful government and winner of many other military decorations, he lost his life testing a jet plane in August, 1945, and lies buried nearby.
Frederick Funston, five feet four and slightly built, went from this farm to a life of amazing adventure. Youthful exploring expeditions in this country were followed by two years in the Arctic from which he returned down the Yukon River 1,500 miles by canoe. After ventures in Latin America he served 18 months with Cuban Insurgents, fighting in 22 engagements and reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel. Invalided home shortly before the Spanish-American War, Funston was made colonel of the 20th Kansas infantry. In 1901 he planned and executed the capture of Aguinaldo, commander of the Filipino army. he received a Congressional Medal of Honor and at 35 was made a brigadier general in the regular army. in 1914, during intervention in Mexico, he commanded Vera Cruz as a military governor and was that year made a major general. He died in 1917. This was the home of his father, Edward H. Funston, a member of Congress, 1884-1894.
The 45th Infantry Division, comprised of National Guard units from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, was one of the first four divisions ordered into federal service by Congress' joint resolution in 1940. Initially stationed at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, the 45th was relocated to Camp Barkeley in early 1941. The "Thunderbirds" found Abilene's citizens welcoming, but Camp Barkeley was as yet little more than a tent city on undrained prairie. The new arrivals nicknamed their quarters "Camp Smokey Okie" and began rigorous training at once. In April 1942 the 45th was ordered to Fort Devens, Massachusetts. After another year of training in three more states they departed for North Africa and Sicily. World War II took the 45th far from Taylor County. They saw fierce combat in Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany, culminating in the liberation of the concentration camp at Dachau in April 1945. After 511 days in combat and 3,650 men lost, the 45th Infantry was one of the most distinguished military units of the war. Eight Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded to its members, who won the admiration of Allies and Axis powers alike. The division was released from active duty in November 1945. Hundreds of 45th Infantry soldiers came back to Abilene to marry and make their homes, their love for the city recorded in their letters and their lives. The 45th was again called to active duty during the Korean conflict, suffering 834 casualties. One "Thunderbird" was posthumously awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor for his Korean service.
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