Medal of Honor 60 Years Late
It took 60 years and three different sets of paperwork for Sioux Nation member Woodrow Keeble to get his Medal of Honor.
According to a story by Donna Miles for the American Forces Press, President Bush presented the medal to the late U.S. Army master sergeant’s stepson 26years after the soldier’s death.
Master Sgt. Keeble was a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War. He won the medal for risking his life to save his fellow soldiers during the final allied offensive in Korea. When the Korea War began, Keeble, then 34, served with the 24th Division’s 1st Platoon, Company G, 19th Infantry Regiment and had earned four Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star for actions on Guadalcanal.
Master Sgt. Keeble’s division was in central Korea in October 1951 trying to take a series of mountains protecting a major enemy supply center in the town of Kumsong. American casualties were high as three pillboxes and manned machine guns took their toll during six days of fighting and the sergeant wound up leading three platoons.
Despite extensive injuries and 83 grenade fragments in his body, the sergeant charged the hill armed with grenades and his Browning automatic rifle and singlehandedly eliminated one pillbox after another. After taking out all three pillboxes and killing the gunners, Master Sgt. Keeble ordered his troops secure the hill.
“Woody Keeble’s act of heroism saved many American lives and earned him a permanent place in his fellow soldiers’ hearts,” Bush said.
Although every surviving member of his unit signed a letter recommending Master Sgt. Keeble for the Medal of Honor, the paperwork was lost twice. Instead, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 1953.
Master Sgt. Keeble’s family then took up the battle to upgrade his award to the Medal of Honor. They heralded the award as a victory for family and the Sisseton-Wahpeton tribe and North and South Dakota.
“We are all extremely proud that Woody is finally receiving this honor,” Russell Hawkins, Master Sgt. Keeble’s stepson, said. “He epitomized our cultural values of humility, compassion, bravery, strength and honor.”
Posted by Bryan McKenzie at 04:43 PM. Filed under: Lunatic Fringe •
