Freedom’s Voice The Monthly Newsletter of the Military History Center 112 N. Main ST Broken Arrow, OK 74012 http://www.okmhc.org/

“Promoting Patriotism through the Preservation of Military History”

Volume 6, Number 9 September 2018

United States Armed Services POW/MIA Recognition Day

Days of Observance POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed in the United States

There are several Days of Observance in the month of Sep- on the third Friday in September. It honors those who were tember. We believe the most significant are Victory over Japan prisoners of war and the more than 82,000 still missing in ac- (VJ) Day on September 2, POW/MIA Recognition Day on Sep- tion. This day was established by an Act of Congress in 1998. The Military History Center has created a small portion of tember 14 and Air Force Birthday on September 18. the Flag Plaza as a memorial to honor the thirty-two Oklaho- mans from the Vietnam War, who were still MIA when the

memorial was created. Each of the thirty-two bricks is en- Important Date graved with the MIA’s name, rank, branch of service, military city of record and the date he went missing. Two MIAs’ re- October 13 mains have been recovered and identified since the Memorial was created. Their bricks have been marked with an “R” desig- Military History through the Ages nating their recovery.

On Saturday, October 13, the MHC will present a program featuring a visual living history of the U.S military services from the Revolutionary War to the present. The event will be on the Memorial Flag Plaza and adjoining parking lot from 10:00 am to 4:00 p.m. This will be a most interesting and informative program, especially for students, so mark your calendars and plan to attend. For more information, call Dennis Hoch at the MHC – (918) 794-2712.

On Saturday, September 15, the MHC held a POW/MIA Along with recognizing POW/MIAs, during the event, the Recognition Day event on the Center’s Memorial Flag Plaza. MHC dedicated its newest brick memorial recognizing the World War II POW Bill Grisez was the featured speaker. He World War I Code Talkers. related his expericences as a prisoner of the Germans.

Choctaw Memorial on the MHC Memorial Flag Plaza

The principal speaker at the dedication was Ms. Nuchi Mr. Bill Grisez delivering his address, while MHC Docent and Master of Nashoba, President of the Choctaw Code Talkers Association. Cermonies, Ken Collins, holds the American flag that Mr. Grisez made while a POW. She is also a great-grandaughter of Choctaw Code Talker, Ben Carterby. Bill Grisez, originally from Ohio, moved to Tulsa as a young Ms. Nashoba’s efforts to preserve the legacy of the boy, where he attended Holy Family Catholic School. At age Choctaw Code Talkers have helped in many ways. France sixteen, he, with his parent’s permission, joined the recognized the Choctaw Code Talkers with that nation’s National Guard’s 45th Infantry Division. He later transferred to Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Merite (Knight of the National the 82nd Airborne Division. Order of Merit). A Choctaw War Memorial located on the In July 1943, the 82nd ID participated in the invasion of Sicily grounds of the Choctaw Capitol building at Tuskahoma, (as did the 45th ID). Mr. Grisez counts himself as one fo the first Oklahoma, pays tribute to Choctaw who served in America’s American soldiers to stand on Nazi controlled European soil. military. In 2005, President George W. Bush signed into law the Poor weather conditions blew most of the paratroopers off Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008, which recognizes every course. After hours of looking for members of his unit, Grisez Native American code talker who served in the United States and several of his comrades were captured by the Germans. military during both world wars. The Choctw Nation was He was imprisoned in Stalag II-B near Hammerstein, Ger- presented with the Congressional Gold Medal, and silver medal many. In January 1945, as the Russians were closing on eastern duplicates were given to each code talker, or as most were Germany, the Germans moved the Stalag II-B prisoners west in deceased, to their families. a forced march of over 300 miles through Germany. Even- tually, as the Russians closed in, the German guards fled, and (Event photos courtesy of MHC volunteer, Lindsey Donaldson) the American POWs were on their own. They were later rescued by advancing American force.

Museum Hours and Admission Fee

Tuesday – Friday: 10:00 – 4:00; Saturday: 10:00 – 2:00 Closed Sunday and Monday and major Federal holidays

Adults – $5.00 Members and Children under 18 – Free

For more information, call (918) 794-2712

www.okmhc.org

Main gate of Stalag II-B

In Memoriam

Commander McCain deplaning at Clark AFB – March 14, 1973

Senator John S. McCain – 2009

McCain remained in the Navy until 1981, when he retired as a John Sidney McCain, III, America’s most recognized Vietnam Captain (equivalent to a Colonel). He settled in Arizona, the War POW, was born August 29, 1936, at Coco Solo Naval Air home of his second wife, where he was elected to the House of Station in the Panama Canal Zone, where his father, a naval Representatives in 1982. In 1986, he was elected to the Senate, officer, was stationed. He entered the Naval Academy in 1954. where he served until his death. He was an indifferent cadet, graduating fifth from the bottom of He was one of the Senators who took the lead in promoting the Class of 1958. Ensign McCain chose naval aviation as his reconciliation with Vietnam. During the controversy over “en- career path. He completed his training at Pensacola Naval Air hanced interrogation” techniques used by the CIA during the Station, Florida, in 1960, qualified to fly ground attack aircraft. War on Terror, he was adamant about prohibiting what was con- In 1967, now a LT Commander (equivalent to a Major) McCain sidered torture of any kind. He often took what some considered requested combat duty. He was assigned to the aircraft carrier, controvisial positions on such issues as campaign finance reform USS Forrestal stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin. On July 29, 1967, and immigration, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. His he was in his aircraft on Forrestal’s flight deck when a rocket on most important service in the Senate may have been his work on another aircraft self-fired and struck another aircraft starting the Armed Services Committee, of which he was chairman at the fires and explosions as other armed aircraft became involved. time of his death. Throughout his Congressional carrer, McCain McCain was injured in the incident that claimed 134 lives. After was a steadfast supporter of the military. his recovery, he was posted to USS Oriskany, where he flew A-4E Captain/Senator John S. McCain, III died at his home near Se- Skyhawks. dona, Arizona, on August 25, 2018. He was interred in the Naval On October 26, 1967, on his twenty-third mission over North Academy Cemetery. His major military decorations include a Vietnam, McCain’s Skyhawk was struck by a surface-to-air missle , (2), Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze over Hanoi. The missle took off a wing, and McCain immediately Star (3), Air Medal (2), and POW Medal. ejected. Somehow, both arms and a leg were fractured during his ejection. He landed in a small lake in Hanoi, where locals, enraged by the American bombing, beat and stabbed him before he was rescued by local militia. He was taken to Hỏa Lò Prison, a former French colonial hotel that the Vietnamese had converted to a POW facility, and which the POWs dubbed the "Hanoi Hil- ton". Only after his captors learned that their prisoner was a son of an admiral, did they begin treating him for his injuries. Even so, the treatment was rudimentary because the Vietnamese couldn’t do any better or did only what was necessary to save the life of their famous prisoner. McCain spent six weeks in a hospital before being returned to a cell. He later spent two years in solitary confinement. His injuries did not deter his captors from torturing him until they obtained a bogus confession as a war criminal. After the United States and North Vietnam reached an agreement in 1973 to exchange prisoners, McCain was Caisson carrying Captain John S. McCain to his burial site repatriated at Clark AFB, Phillipines, on March 14. Naval Academy Cemetery – September 2, 2018

Prisoners of Germany Poland). As the Russians closed on East Prussia and Pomerania, the prisoners were moved. They were loaded onto World War I vintage rail cars called 40 and 8s because they were designed to hold either forty men or eight horses. Stalag Luft IV’s pris- oners were transferred west to Stalag Luft I at Barth-Vogelsang on the Baltic Sea in western Pomerania (now in the German state of Mecklenberg). Somehow, the prisoners acquired a radio or had scrounged parts to build one. They secretively tuned to the BBC at night to keep up with the news. By then, both the eastern and western fronts were moving fast as the German army was collapsing. Each day, a map was posted in the barracks showing the posi- tions of the fronts. On April 30, 1945, the Germans hastily abandoned the camp, and the Russians entered the next day. SSGT Thomas W. Sommers – ca. 1944 Barth had a large airport, and several days after liberation,

Eighth Air Force flew transport planes from England to collect Thomas William Sommers was born at Humphrey, Arkansas, the liberated prisoners. Sommers was flown to France, where on March 24, 1925. At some point, his family moved to he departed for the United States on July 13, 1945. Louisiana, where he was inducted into the Army Air Force at Soon after returning home, he enrolled in Louisiana State Shreveport on November 27, 1943. He received his basic University. After graduation, he became a draftsman. At some training at Shepherd Field (now AFB) near Wichita Falls, Texas. point he moved to Tulsa and a career with City Service Compa- After basic training, he was sent to 2nd Aerial Gunnery Training ny. Thomas William Sommers died in Broken Arrow on De- Group at Laredo Army Air Field, Texas, for gunnery school. cember 25, 2016. We could find no grave for him anywhere in After gunnery school, he was sent to Casper, Wyoming, where the United States, suggesting that his remains were cremated. he was assigned to a B-24 crew as tail gunner. The crew and His World War II decorations include a Purple Heart, three Air their bomber were assigned to the 719th Bombardment Medals, European-African-Middle East Campaign Medal with Squadron, 449th Bombardment Group, Fifteenth Air Force. The six battle stars, POW Medal and Victory Medal. squadron flew to Italy, where they were based at Grottaglie Air Most of the information for this article is from a document Field near Taranto. of several pages, which Sommers wrote for the Eisenhower On October 13, 1944, (Friday the 13th) Sommers flew his Center for American Studies in 2000. His family generously do- twenty-third and last mission. 1LT Michael C. Mealy (After the nated it to the MHC. war, he changed his name to O’Malley.) lifted-off the B-24, named Nancy Jane II, for a mission to Vienna, Austria. The tar- * * * * * get was fogged over, so they couldn’t drop their bombs. The flight commander ordered a go-around for another try. The Another of Nancy Jane II’s crew was Technical Sergeant area was still fogged over, and by then, many of the bombers Eugene H. Welch, the radioman and one of the waist gunners. were shot-up. Nancy Jane II had been hit several times and had He was born in Creek County, Oklahoma, on September 19, lost an engine. The mission was aborted, and the bombers 1923. He was living in Bristow, when he entered the Army on turned for home. Mealy flew down the Yugoslavian coast in June 29, 1942. His POW experiences would have been similar hopes of making it to base, but Nancy Jane II was too badly to those of Thomas Sommers. Sometime after the war, Welch damaged and was running out of fuel. Mealy decided their moved to California. He died at Huntington Beach on Decem- best chance for survival was to bail out over Yugoslavia, where ber 14, 1974. We were unable to find anything else about him. they had a chance of being picked up by friendly partisans. Mealy ordered the crew to prepare for bail-out and a few minutes later rang the bail-out klaxon. Sommers jumped from the rear of the bomber, landed hard and broke a foot. In addition to the crew of ten, Captain Leslie Caplan, the squadron flight surgeon was aboard. He wanted to fly a mis- sion in order to study the oxygen system, so he could train fu- ture officers how to use it properly. The men landed in Croatia, where Caplan and eight of the crew, including SSGT Sommers, were picked up by the Ustashi, a virulent, Croatian fascist mili- tia allied with the Germans. The Ustashi took their prisoners to a nearby town and turned them over to the Germans, who within a few days put them on a train to Vienna. The other two crewmen were picked up by friendly partisans and eventually made it to a military hospital in Italy. The captured airmen finally reached a POW camp – Stalag Lager (camp) “A” at Stalag Luft IV – 1944 Luft IV at Gross Tychow in German Pomerania (now Tychowo, “A Doctor in Bataan”1 modern warfare, but they could not break the heroic will of the defenders of Bataan until starvation and sickness had overtak- Ralph Waldo Hubbard (Sr.) was born at St. Joseph, Missouri, en and defeated them.” on February 26, 1908. Sometime before 1930, he moved to Oklahoma to attend the University of Oklahoma Medical School, from which he graduated in 1932. He was a resident of Oklahoma City when he entered the Army. In 1940, he was stationed at Ft. Devins, Massachusetts. On December 8, 1941, the day the Japanese attacked the Philippines, he was a Major stationed at Sternberg General Hospital in Manila. That afternoon, MAJ Hubbard was called to Fort Stotens- burg to care for the wounded from the attack on Clark Field. Over the next week, the medical staff was overwhelmed with casualties from Clark Field, Iba Field, Cavite Naval Base and Nichols Field. It was clear to General Douglas MacArthur that he couldn’t defend the entire Philippines, so he initiated the Major Ralph W. Hubbard long-standing Plan Orange as it pertained to the Philippines. MAJ Hubbard was not part of the Bataan Death March. The The plan called for American and Filipino forces on Luzon to Japanese ordered him and the other medical personnel to re- withdraw to Bataan Peninsula. Hubbard was ordered from Ma- main with the hospital. There were about 6,600 patients in the nila to Corregidor, where he was made chief of the Surgical hospital at surrender. Over the next several weeks, the Japa- Service in the tunnel hospital at Fort Mills. The Japanese began nese moved out everyone who could walk and killed those who heavy aerial bombardment of Corregidor on December 29. couldn’t. On June 1, General Hospital No. 2 was moved to Ca- Soon afterwards, Hubbard was ordered to Bataan. banatuan. Four days later, the survivors of the Bataan Death On Bataan, he was assigned to General Hospital No. 2. It March, who had been marched to Camp O’Donnell, arrived at wasn’t a hospital in the ordinary sense. It was entirely an open- Cabanatuan. MAJ Hubbard and the other medical personnel air hospital that had been set up in a narrow valley. It consist- did their best to care for the sick. They had no medicine except ed of about a mile of jungle on both sides of a stream. Because small amounts smuggled in by Filipinos and nothing at all that it was situated in a valley amidst jungle, it could not be spotted could be described as real food. Besides the lack of medical from the air, so it wasn’t bombed. The hospital was short of care and the starvation diet, the threat of Japanese brutality everything. Amoebic dysentery and malaria were prevalent continually overhung the POWs. Hubbard and CPT Wilson R. throughout Bataan. Men soon sickened and began to die from McNeil of Lawton, Oklahoma, compiled an unofficial roster and the diseases. With the sick and normal combat wounds, the calculated 500-900 of the Bataan defenders were Oklahomans. hospital was soon beyond its capacity. Besides hospital and (We could find very little about CPT McNeil, except that he was medical shortages, the Bataan force was also chronically short also in the medical service, maybe a doctor.) of food. On January 1, 1942, rations were reduced to two On January 30, 1945, in a daring raid, the 6th Ranger Battal- meals per day. The two meals consisted of a small amount of ion, commanded by LTC Henry Mucci, supported by Filipino rice with tiny amounts of salmon, sardines or corn beef occa- guerillas and Alamo Scouts, liberated MAJ Hubbard, CPT sionally supplemented with a small amount of sugar and McNeil, 487 other surviving POWs and twenty-three civilians. canned milk. Caloric intake dropped from about 2,500 per day As soon as they were physically able, the liberated Americans in early January to about 900 in March. On March 2, Hubbard were put on a ship for the United States. was transferred to the front lines, where he commanded a col- Hubbard separated from the Army as a LT Colonel on June lecting company. We are not sure what that was, but they 7, 1946. He returned to Oklahoma City, where he presumably probably collected wounded or men rendered unfit for combat went into private medical practice. He died on May 19, 1959, because of disease or starvation and sent them to the hospital. at age fifty-one, and was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in The Bataan force held out until April 9. By then, the men Oklahoma City. He was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross were at the end of their endurance after four months of con- “for extraordinary heroism in connection with military opera- tinuous combat in a tropical environment, disease and starva- tions against an armed enemy in action against enemy forces tion, and ammunition was exhausted. MG Edward P. King, Jr. on 7 April 1942”. We couldn’t find the full citation, so we don’t surrendered his command after extracting a promise from the know specifically what he did to merit the award. Japanese that the prisoners would be treated humanely. Notwithstanding the promises of the Japanese, the Bataan MAJ Hubbard expressed his reaction to the surrender thus- prisoners were treated as brutally as prisoners could be. Hub- ly: “The Japanese cannot take any honor from having over- bard believed it was because General Masahara Homma had whelmed us in Bataan. They lost many thousands of troops. been humiliated by the losses and exertions his army had to They expended many airplanes. They had every advantage of endure to defeat the Bataan force. The stubborn and heroic Bataan defenders set back his timetable by months. After the 1 This article is taken from the memoir of LTC Ralph W. Hubbard, Sr.’s World war, Homma was tried in Manila as a war criminal, convicted War II experiences in the Philippines, entitled “A Doctor in Bataan”. It was part and executed – a fate he well deserved. of a collection of other short war memoirs published in 1949 under the title: World War II, Journal #5, War in the Philippines. This Month’s Featured Exhibit

CPT Henry Lee Mosburg – MIA

Henry Lee Mosburg was born at Custer City (Custer County), Oklahoma, on December 3, 1935. Mosburg joined the Army and attended flight school in 1959 at Fort Benning, Georgia. He

served in Company A, 2nd Battle Group, 12th Infantry at Fort When Americans think of Vietnam War POWs/MIAs, they Riley, Kansas. He went on to serve in Korea (several years after typically think of POW airmen, who were held in and around the Korean War) in the S-3 Operations Section of the 1st Battle Hanoi, and the MIAs who went missing over North Vietnam and Group, 31st Infantry “Bearcat” Regiment. He served two tours Laos. Seldom does anyone think about, or even know about, in Vietnam. His military home of record is Putnam (Dewey the POWs held by the Viet Cong in South Vietnam and often in County), Oklahoma. Cambodia. Those prisoners were frequently kept outdoors in On September 26, 1966, Captain Mosburg was a member of bamboo enclosures called tiger cages, similar to the reproduc- 114th Assault Helicopter Company. On that day, he was the tion model shown above. The Viet Cong are believed to have pilot of a Bell Huey Utility Helicopter (UH-1B) that was on an held as many as 150 American POWs over the course of the assault mission near the mouth of the Son Co Chien River in the war. When POWs were exchanged in 1973, they released 114. Mekong Delta in Vinh Binh Province, South Vietnam. On the At least two had been released earlier. The others had probably second pass on the target, his helicopter was fired on by small died from the effects of exposure, malnutrition, disease or bru- arms. As the aircraft prepared for a third pass, it was noticed tality or a combination of some or all. that one of the helicopter's rockets was on fire on the left side SSGT Harold George Bennett of Arkansas and PFC Charles of the aircraft. Crafts of Maine were rangers attached as advisors to a South Observers watched the tail section of the aircraft fall away, Vietnamese (ARVN) ranger company. On December 29, 1964, causing the helicopter to fall toward the water in a steep spin. the rangers were operating southeast of Binh Gia, forty-two The helicopter landed on its right side in approximately nine miles east-southeast of Saigon. Their unit was ambushed by a feet of water. One person was rescued, and one body was re- numerically superior Viet Cong force. Bennett and Crafts cov- covered. Mosburg was not found, nor was his gunner, SP4 ered the withdrawal of the ARVN rangers and were captured. Marvin F. Phillips. The Viet Cong released Crafts as a “goodwill gesture” during CPT Mosburg has a memorial in Fort Rosecrans National the 1967 Tet holiday. It’s from him that we know the details of Cemetery at San Diego. SSGT Bennett’s fate. Bennett had continually resisted his cap- tors, including two escape attempts. His guards had grown to hate him. He had become too weak to walk, so the Viet Cong murdered him on the trail as they were moving their encamp- ment on, or about, May 28, 1965. The Tiger Cage Exhibit, part of the larger Vietnam War Ex- hibit, is dedicated to the memory of SSGT Bennett and all other POWs of the Vietnam War, wherever they were held. Although Bennett’s death was confirmed, he will forever be MIA. A framed photograph of him, along with a narrative is shown above the upper left corner of the tiger cage. He was posthu- mously awarded a Silver Star for his actions in saving the South Vietnamese rangers and his heroic resistance as a POW. Several Vietnam War prints are displayed on the wall be- hind the tiger cage. The uniform on the mannequin at the right is that of an Army helicopter pilot of the era.

MAJ Howard Horton Smith – MIA PFC Alan Bruce Cecil - MIA

Howard Horton “Smitty” Smith was born at Oklahoma City Alan Bruce Cecil was born at Holdenville (Hughes County), on June 25, 1930. Oklahoma, on September 4, 1946. MAJ Smith was a member of the 333rd Tactical Fighter SP5 Alan B. Cecil, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forc- Squadron, stationed at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thai- es, was assigned as the radio operator of a special operations land. On September 30, 1968, he was the electronics warfare reconnaissance team under orders to MACV-SOG, a joint ser- officer on a Thunderchief F-105F piloted by CPT Clifford Fieszel. vice high command, unconventional warfare task force en- On that day, they were ordered on a mission about fifty miles gaged in highly classified operations throughout Southeast north of the Demilitarized Zone near Quang Khe, North Vi- Asia. The 5th Special Forces channeled personnel into MACV- etnam, when their aircraft was hit by hostile fire and crashed. SOG (though it was not a Special Forces group) through Special Their remains were not recovered. Operations Augmentation (SOA), which provided their "cover" Search and rescue units monitored beeper signals for twen- while under secret orders to MACV-SOG. ty-four hours after Fieszel's plane went down but were unable On September 21, 1969, SP5 Cecil's reconnaissance team to rescue him or Smith. On the following day, Radio Hanoi an- was inserted into the rugged jungle-covered mountains approx- nounced that two F-105's had been shot down in the Quang imately sixty miles west-northwest of Quang Tri, South Vi- Khe area, and the pilot of the second plane had been captured. etnam; ten miles south of the DMZ, thirteen miles northwest of On October 7, a Hanoi newspaper repeated the story. It was Muang Xepon and seventeen miles due west of the Laos/Viet- thought that the Vietnamese believed the wingman's plane had namese border in Savannakhet Province, Laos. SP5 Cecil’s team also gone down since it was on fire when it headed out to sea. was ambushed by an enemy force of unknown size. He was No mention was made of Smith in either report. CPT Fieszel killed immediately. was not one of the prisoners returned in 1973. Because the area of loss was under the total control of MAJ Smith was later promoted to Colonel. He has a memo- communist forces, no ground search to recover SP5 Cecil's re- rial in Schwartz Cemetery, Cleveland County, Oklahoma. mains was possible. He was immediately listed Killed in Ac- tion/Body Not Recovered. SP5 Cecil has a private memorial in Sunset Memorial Gar- dens, Norman, Oklahoma.

COL Smith’s Memorial on his wife’s gravestone SP5 Cecil’s Memorial in Sunset Memorial Gardens Schwartz Cemetery, Cleveland County, Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma

VJ Day U.S. Air Force in World War I

A SPAD XIII at the United States Air Force Museum shown in 94th Aero Squadron (Pursuit) markings. It’s also marked as Captain President Truman briefs the press on the message from the Japanese Eddie Rickenbacker’s aircraft. government accepting allied surrender terms – August 14, 1945 (Au- gust 15 in Japan). The people of the Allied nations wildly celebrated After the United States entered World War I on April 6, the end of the war on that day. 1917, the first U.S. aviation combat force was created when an Air Service was formed as part of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). Major General Mason Patrick commanded the Air Service of the AEF. Brigadier General Billy Mitchel was his dep- uty. The aviation units, some of which were trained in France, provided tactical support for the U.S. Army, especially during the battle of St. Michel and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. With the creation of the Air Service, the Army’s aviation es- tablishment in the United States was removed from control of the Army Signal Corps and placed directly under the Secretary of War. An assistant secretary was created to direct the Army Air Service, which had dual responsibilities for development and procurement of aircraft and raising and training air units. The AEF Air Service’s leading ace was Captain Eddie Ricken- backer with twenty-six aerial victories. World War I aerial kills included both aircraft and manned observation balloons. Dur- ing the war, Rickenbacker was awarded eight Distinguished Service Crosses, one of which was converted to the Medal of Honor in 1930. With the end of war, the AEF's Air Service was dissolved, and the Army Air Service in the United States was largely de- mobilized.

The United States Air Force began its existence in 1907 as part of the Army and remained so until September 18, 1947, when it was established as an independent branch of the U.S. The Empire of Japan formally surrendered to General Douglas MacAr- armed forces. Since 1917, the Air Force has carried the fight in thur, Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, on USS Missouri on the air to the nation’s enemies. September 2, 1945. President Truman proclaimed the day – VJ Day.

The MHC Salutes World War II Veterans

World War II Victory Ribbon St. Mihiel

The first combat by the newly created American First Army was the reduction of the St. Mihiel Salient. One of First Army’s divisions, the 90th Infantry, was created with Oklahomans and Texans called by the first draft of the war in 1917. The 179th Infantry Brigade of the division, the “Oklahoma Brigade”, con- tained two infantry regiments: the 357th with men from west- ern Oklahoma and the 358th with men from eastern Oklahoma. The 90th ID may have contained more Oklahomans than any other division in the American Expeditionary Force. During the battle to clear the St. Mihiel Salient, the 90th ID was positioned on the far right of the American line, anchored Trenches, formally occupied by a French unit, from which the 90th on the Moselle River. The salient had been in existence since Infantry Division launched its attack into the St. Mihiel Salient 1914. It had since been considered a quiet area by both Ger- mans and French. The Germans were expecting an attack by the Americans and had recognized their vulnerability in the salient. They began an orderly withdrawal on September 11, 1918. General Pershing launched his attack the next day. The attack was supported by an artillery barrage from 2,900 guns (many French) as well as a force of French tanks and a French colonial division. The Germans had not expected the attack so soon. They were outnumbered and slightly out of position because of their withdrawal. Their defense quickly collapsed. In thirty-six hours, the Americans took over 13,000 prisoners and captured 466 artillery pieces. In addition to the prisoners, the Germans lost 5,000 killed and wounded, while the Americans suffered 7,000 casualties of all types.

Dressing station of the 167th Ambulance Company, 42nd Infantry “Rainbow” Division located at Essey a few miles east of the town of St. Mihiel. The company was originally Tulsa Ambulance Company No. 1, Oklahoma National Guard, but was redesignated the 167th Ambulance Company after being federalized and assigned to the 42nd ID, an all- national guard division with units from twenty-six sates. (The MHC displays a copy of a large group photograph of Tulsa Ambulance Company No. 1 taken in 1917.)

Fighting in the Bois de Frière, September 12, 1918 – The painting de- picts soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 358th Infantry Regiment, 179th Infantry “Oklahoma” Brigade, 90th Infantry Division assaulting a German ma- chine gun position in the Bois de Frière on the first day of the Battle of St. Mihiel – September 12, 1918.

The men finished mopping-up the battlefield and dug de- fensive trenches opposite the German Hindenburg Line. Amer- ican forces engaged in nightly patrols and trench raids to gather intelligence and/or to grab prisoners for the same purpose. After the salient was secured, the 90th ID was held in its po- sition opposite the Hindenburg Line until October 10, when it th was relieved for a short rest before being reassigned to another Original design of 90 Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia – 1918 The T-O insignia reflects the original composition of the division sector of the Meuse-Argonne battlefield. with men from Texas and Oklahoma.

American Legion Honors Tulsa Heroes He also served in World War II from April 9, 1942, to Sep- tember 25, 1945. SGT Kevin B. Rigney is buried in Memorial Tulsa’s Carson-Wilson-Rigney-Forrester-Shoemaker Ameri- Gardens Cemetery in Muskogee. can Legion Post No. 1 is named for five area heroes who lost Jarden Duwayne Forrester was born January 4, 1946, in Au- their lives in five separate wars. rora, Missouri. His family moved to Tulsa, when he was a boy. Joseph Clarence Carson was born January 1, 1896, at Pe- He entered the army on January 8, 1963, in Oklahoma City. On trolia, Ontario, Canada. A few years after the death of his fa- November 17, 1965, he was serving as a Specialist 4 in Compa- nd th st ther in 1904, Joseph’s mother immigrated to Tulsa with her ny C, 2 Battalion, 7 Cavalry Regiment, 1 Cavalry “First three sons. Joseph graduated from Central High School in Tulsa Team” Division in the Ia Drang Valley of South Vietnam. After nd in 1915. the battle at Landing Zone X-Ray, 2 Battalion was ordered to On September 26, 1918, Carson was a Sergeant in Co. D, march overland to Landing Zone Albany. As they neared LZ 358th Infantry Regiment, 179th Infantry “Oklahoma” Brigade, Albany, they were ambushed by North Vietnamese. Forrester 90th Infantry Division. On that day, the first day of the Meuse- was killed in action on November 17. He was posthumously Argonne Offensive, a force of about 500 men from the 358th awarded a Bronze Star. SP4 Jarden D. Forrester is also buried was organized for an attack on the Hindenburg Line. At 0530, in Rose Hill Memorial Park. 109 Tulsans died in the Vietnam the attackers began to advance from the edge of the woods in War. Jarden Duwayne Forrester was the first. a northerly direction approaching a hill and a camouflaged road Jared Matthew Shoemaker was born on April 22, 1977, in extending southwest from Prény. They advanced about 500 Tulsa. He graduated from Edison High School in 1994. He later yards in the face of great numbers of German machine guns graduated from Northeastern State University in Broken Arrow, and under extremely heavy artillery fire. SGT Carson was killed with a degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice. He planned in the attack, which ended in failure. to be a police officer, but because of lack of funding, his ac- Carson was posthumously awarded a Distinguished Service ceptance to the Tulsa Police Academy was delayed. In the Cross. His Citation reads in part: “Sergeant Carson, with two meantime, he joined the Marine Corps. When he was accepted other men, volunteered to rush an enemy , which into the Tulsa Police Academy in 2005, he was a member of the had concentrated its fire on an opening in some barbed-wire Marine Corps Reserve. In December 2005, his unit was mobi- entanglement through which his company was endeavoring to lized for deployment to Iraq. st advance. He had successfully silenced its fire when he was On September 4, 2006, he was a Corporal in the 1 Battal- th th killed by the fire of other enemy machine guns.” ion, 25 Marine Regiment, 4 Marine “Fighting Fourth” Divi- st Carson’s body was unrecoverable, but his death was con- sion, 1 Marine Expeditionary Force. On that day, the vehicle firmed on the report of surviving unit members, who witnessed in which he was riding struck a powerful improvised explosive it on the battlefield. According to the regimental history: “This device (IED), which killed him and two other Marines. was the only engagement by the Regiment in which the In addition to his military decorations, Corporal Shoemaker wounded and dead were left to fall into the hands of the ene- received the Albert E. Schwab, Marine Corps League 2005 Ma- my”. SGT Joseph C. Carson is memorialized on the Tablets of rine of the Year Award. In November 2006, he was posthu- the Missing at St. Mihiel American Cemetery, Thiaucourt, mously named the Albert E. Schwab Non-commissioned Officer France, and with a marker in Rose Hill Memorial Park in Tulsa. of the Year. Alexander E. Wilson, Jr. was born on September 25, 1920, in CPL Jared M. Shoemaker is buried in Veterans Field of Hon- Tulsa. He was a graduate of Will Rogers High School. On No- or in Floral Haven Memorial Gardens in Broken Arrow. vember 27, 1944, he was serving as a Private First Class in Company I, 28th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry “Golden Arrow” Division near Aachen, Germany. He was killed in action while attacking an enemy position. For his heroic actions, he was posthumously awarded a Silver Star. He had already received two Bronze Stars for previous acts of battlefield heroism. His Silver Star Citation reads in part: “For gallantry in action ... Pri- vate Wilson, with utter disregard for his personal safety, single- handedly attacked the enemy position. Firing his rifle and toss- ing hand grenades, he advanced upon the enemy position and demanded that the occupants surrender. Although killed in this action by enemy machine gun fire, he so inspired his com- rades that they advanced and reduced the position.” PFC Alex- Joseph Clarence Carson ander E. Wilson is buried in Rose Hill Memorial Park, Tulsa. Keith Blevin Rigney was born in Tulsa on January 25, 1919. Tulsa’s American Legion Post No. 1, located at 1120 E. 8th rd On July 14, 1950, he was serving as a Sergeant in the 63 Field ST, is the oldest, continuously operated American Legion Post th Artillery Battalion, 24 Infantry “Taro” Division in the Pusan in the country – founded May 21, 1919. It was originally named Perimeter of Korea. His unit was positioned near the village of Joseph C. Carson American Legion Post. Samyo along the Kum River, defending the Perimeter. When the North Koreans overran the position, he was killed in action.

“Lest We Forget”

St. Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial – Thiaucourt, France

St. Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial contains the graves of 4,153 servicemen who died in France in World War I. The majori- ty of them died in the offensive that resulted in the reduction of the St. Mihiel Salient in 1918. Beyond the burial area to the south is the white stone Memorial consisting of a small chapel, a peristyle with a large rose-granite funeral urn at its center, and a map build- ing. On two walls of the Memorial are recorded the names of 284 missing, including SGT Joseph Clarence Carson of Tulsa, killed dur- ing an attack on the Hindenburg Line in the vicinity of Prény, France, on September 26, 1918, the first day of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Rosettes mark the names of the missing recovered and identified since the cemetery was established.

Freedom is not free.

1. Freedom’s Voice is the voice of MVA, Inc. dba Military History Center, a 501(C)3 private foundation, as a service to its members and supporters. Contents may be reproduced only when in the best interest of the Military History Center. Please direct comments or suggestions to the Editor at [email protected]. Ken Cook, Editor