|
|
| |
| |
World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Corporal Alfred Leonard Wilson, US Army 328th Infantry
Corporal Alfred Leonard Wilson was awarded the Medal of Honor for action on November 8, 1944 near Bezange la Petite, France. He was killed in action.
Niece records Congressional Medal of Honor recipient's story
By Amy Karpinsky, Herald-Standard
05/05/2005
In the years since Carolyn McKinney wrote a book about her uncle, the only Fayette County winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor in World War II, stories about him have "crawled out from the woodwork."
One of those stories came from a soldier who served with Technician 5th Class (Corporal) Alfred L. Wilson of Fairchance. According to McKinney, this soldier said Gen. George S. Patton had given a blood, guts and gore speech before a battle in France, and Wilson turned to the soldier and said, "None of us regular guys will get a medal like that."
But Wilson did get such a medal, but he received it posthumously, after giving up his life for his comrades.
Congress gives the Medal of Honor to those who risk their lives in combat beyond the call of duty.
Wilson is officially credited with saving the lives of 10 comrades when he was serving in Medical Detachment, 328th Infantry, 26th Division near Bezange la Petite, France, on Nov. 8, 1944, when he volunteered to assist another company that was suffering casualties from artillery fire.
Although she was born after her uncle's death, McKinney went to great lengths to record his story for posterity. She has said that she did it out of curiosity, family pride and her own deeply embedded sense of duty.
The result of her work is her book, "The Gentle Giant of the 26th Division."
McKinney will hold a presentation and book signing at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Fayette Chamber of Commerce office, 65 W. Main St., Uniontown. Her appearance is part of the city's "Heroes All: 60 Years Later" event this week to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
McKinney said of the weeklong event, "I think it is gratifying for those men to have their sacrifice validated so many years later.
"To quote a line from my book, we are an accumulation of those whose footsteps have gone before us. In understanding them, we learn to understand ourselves. Actually, I think it imperative that we honor our heroes," she added. "In not remembering, we negate their deeds and show ourselves to be less of a people than we should be. If we don't give them their just due, we diminish the spirit that has made America the 'greatest nation on the face of the earth.'"
McKinney said the Heroes All celebration means a lot to her because of her uncle's contribution to the war. She said at the time he didn't get as much recognition as he deserved because his family was devastated.
Wilson was a 23-year-old Army medic when he died. The former coal mine timberman lost his mother when he was 14, and his father accepted his Medal of Honor at a ceremony in Pittsburgh in August 1945. McKinney said her grandfather basically crawled in himself after losing his son.
Wilson was 6 foot 2 inches tall and weight 230 pounds, and the title of McKinney's book makes reference to Wilson's size and demeanor.
The book includes many of the 80 letters Wilson wrote home before his death, as well as photographs of him growing up in Fairchance and in military service. Ironically, Wilson refused to carry a weapon, despite the fact that he died in the midst of heavy artillery fire. Medics are permitted to carry weapons, but Wilson did not want to kill anybody, McKinney said.
The Meyersdale, Somerset County, woman said she still attends the reunions with the 26th Division and still hears lots of stories about her uncle and others.
CITATION:
Rank and organization: Technician Fifth Grade, U.S. Army, Medical Detachment, 328th Infantry, 26th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Bezange la Petite, France, 8 November 1944. Entered service at: Fairchance, Pa. Birth: Fairchance, Pa. G.O. No.: 47, 18 June 1945. Citation: He volunteered to assist as an aid man a company other than his own, which was suffering casualties from constant artillery fire. He administered to the wounded and returned to his own company when a shellburst injured a number of its men. While treating his comrades he was seriously wounded, but refused to be evacuated by litter bearers sent to relieve him. In spite of great pain and loss of blood, he continued to administer first aid until he was too weak to stand. Crawling from 1 patient to another, he continued his work until excessive loss of blood prevented him from moving. He then verbally directed unskilled enlisted men in continuing the first aid for the wounded. Still refusing assistance himself, he remained to instruct others in dressing the wounds of his comrades until he was unable to speak above a whisper and finally lapsed into unconsciousness. The effects of his injury later caused his death. By steadfastly remaining at the scene without regard for his own safety, Cpl. Wilson through distinguished devotion to duty and personal sacrifice helped to save the lives of at least 10 wounded men.
Courtesy of Find A Grave
|
|
|
|
|
|
Articles & Briefings
