#TuesdaysTroops - 4th AD's Medals of Honor (WW2)

As we continue to go through some of the parts of the 3rd Army, I want to remember three individuals from the 4th Armored Division. The 4th is special to me because it is the division my father served in. We will get to that at a later date. The 4th was also the first entire division to be awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. That was for actions from December 22, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, to March 27, 1945, just after the crossing of the Rhine, as the spearhead of the 3rd Army's assault on German positions.

From September 14, 1944 through December 26, 1944, three men distinguished themselves above and beyond and were recognized and awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions. Those three men were, 1st Lt. James H. Fields of the 10th Armored Infantry Battalion, Pvt. James R. Hendrix of the 53rd Armored Infantry Battalion, and Sgt. Joseph J. Sadowski of the 37th Tank Battalion.

I will let the citations of these three men speak for themselves.

Joseph James Sadowski

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty at Valhey, France. On the afternoon of 14 September 1944, Sgt. Sadowski as a tank commander was advancing with the leading elements of Combat Command A, 4th Armored Division, through an intensely severe barrage of enemy fire from the streets and buildings of the town of Valhey. As Sgt. Sadowski's tank advanced through the hail of fire, it was struck by a shell from an 88-mm. gun fired at a range of 20 yards. The tank was disabled and burst into flames. The suddenness of the enemy attack caused confusion and hesitation among the crews of the remaining tanks of our forces. Sgt. Sadowski immediately ordered his crew to dismount and take cover in the adjoining buildings. After his crew had dismounted, Sgt. Sadowski discovered that 1 member of the crew, the bow gunner, had been unable to leave the tank. Although the tank was being subjected to a withering hail of enemy small-arms, bazooka, grenade, and mortar fire from the streets and from the windows of adjacent buildings, Sgt. Sadowski unhesitatingly returned to his tank and endeavored to pry up the bow gunner's hatch. While engaged in this attempt to rescue his comrade from the burning tank, he was cut down by a stream of machinegun fire which resulted in his death. The gallant and noble sacrifice of his life in the aid of his comrade, undertaken in the face of almost certain death, so inspired the remainder of the tank crews that they pressed forward with great ferocity and completely destroyed the enemy forces in this town without further loss to themselves. The heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Sgt. Sadowski, which resulted in his death, inspired the remainder of his force to press forward to victory, and reflect the highest tradition of the armed forces.

James H. Fields 

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty, at Rechicourt, France. On September 27, 1944, during a sharp action with the enemy infantry and tank forces, 1st Lt. Fields personally led his platoon in a counterattack on the enemy position. Although his platoon had been seriously depleted, the zeal and fervor of his leadership was such as to inspire his small force to accomplish their mission in the face of overwhelming enemy opposition. Seeing that 1 of the men had been wounded, he left his slit trench and with complete disregard for his personal safety attended the wounded man and administered first aid. While returning to his slit trench he was seriously wounded by a shell burst, the fragments of which cut through his face and head, tearing his teeth, gums, and nasal passage. Although rendered speechless by his wounds, 1st Lt. Fields refused to be evacuated and continued to lead his platoon by the use of hand signals. On 1 occasion, when 2 enemy machineguns had a portion of his unit under deadly crossfire, he left his hole, wounded as he was, ran to a light machinegun, whose crew had been knocked out, picked up the gun, and fired it from his hip with such deadly accuracy that both the enemy gun positions were silenced. His action so impressed his men that they found new courage to take up the fire fight, increasing their firepower, and exposing themselves more than ever to harass the enemy with additional bazooka and machinegun fire. Only when his objective had been taken and the enemy scattered did 1st Lt. Fields consent to be evacuated to the battalion command post. At this point he refused to move further back until he had explained to his battalion commander by drawing on paper the position of his men and the disposition of the enemy forces. The dauntless and gallant heroism displayed by 1st Lt. Fields were largely responsible for the repulse of the enemy forces and contributed in a large measure to the successful capture of his battalion objective during this action. His eagerness and determination to close with the enemy and to destroy him was an inspiration to the entire command, and are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Armed Forces.

James Richard Hendrix

On the night of 26 December 1944, near Assenois, Belgium, he was with the leading element engaged in the final thrust to break through to the besieged garrison at Bastogne when halted by a fierce combination of artillery and small arms fire. He dismounted from his half-track and advanced against two 88mm. guns, and, by the ferocity of his rifle fire, compelled the guncrews to take cover and then to surrender. Later in the attack he again left his vehicle, voluntarily, to aid 2 wounded soldiers, helpless and exposed to intense machinegun fire. Effectively silencing 2 hostile machineguns, he held off the enemy by his own fire until the wounded men were evacuated. Pvt. Hendrix again distinguished himself when he hastened to the aid of still another soldier who was trapped in a burning half-track. Braving enemy sniper fire and exploding mines and ammunition in the vehicle, he extricated the wounded man and extinguished his flaming clothing, thereby saving the life of his fellow soldier. Pvt. Hendrix, by his superb courage and heroism, exemplified the highest traditions of the military service.

Fields went on to attain the rank of Captain and also received a Bronze and a Silver Star for other actions during the war. 

Sadowski was honored by the citizens of Valhey, France in 1999, when they erected a monument honoring him. There was also a ceremony at the monument in 2009, the 65th anniversary of his death, where an old friend and a commander of Co. B, 37th Tank Battalion, Col. Jimmie Leach spoke in his honor.

Hendrix went on to attain the rank of MSgt. and served in Korea and Vietnam as well before he retired in 1966.

All three of these men exemplified the spirit and tenacity of, not only their units, but also the 4th Armored Division as a whole. The division's drive through German defenses was legendary, and was lead from the top down by extremely talented and driven men. They were a large part of the reason that the Third Army hammered Germany in the manner that they did.

Let us never forget these three men, nor the units they served with, which will be explored further, in more detail in coming weeks. 

#TuesdaysTroops - 90th Infantry Division

90th ID "Tough 'Ombres"

The 90th Infantry Division was formed during World War One. Only "over there" for about a year, they fought as part of the American Expeditionary Forces under General Pershing in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel. The allied attack caught the Germans in retreat and decimated them, killing, wounding or taking prisoner around half of the 50,000 German troops. This was a significant victory. 

They also were part of the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the principle, largest, and final battle by the U.S. in the war. It cost the United States about 120,000 casualties, among them, over 7500, including almost 1100 dead from the 90th Infantry Division. The 90th would return to the U.S. and become deactivated following the war.

March of 1942 would see the reactivation of the 90th. For two years they trained and were then sent to England where they would continue training from Early April 1944 until June 4, 1944. At that point, they headed to Utah Beach, Normandy, France. 

The 90th Infantry Division, during World War Two consisted of the 315th Engineer Combat Bn., four field artillery battalions, the 343rd, 344th, 345th, and 915th. three infantry regiments, the 357th, 358th, and 359th, and the 790th Ardance Light Maintenance Company. Also, attached to the division were parts of the 537th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion, the 712th Tank Battalion, and the 607th and 773rd Tank Destroyer Battalions. 

Starting with the D-Day landings in Normandy, the 90th participated in 5 major campaigns, including the Northern France portion of Operation Overlord, the Rhineland Campaign, Ardennes-Alsace, including the Battle of the Bulge, and finally, the Central Europe Campaign which culminated with the invasion of Germany and the end of the European portion of World War Two. It was in the waning weeks of the war when they came upon the Flossenbürg concentration camp. This camp saw over 90,000 prisoners pass through, some 30,000 died there. By the time the 90th ID arrived, only about 1500 severely emaciated people remained in camp. About a week after liberating them, the war came to end. The same day this news arrived, the 90th accepted the surrender of the highest scoring fighter ace in history, Erich Hartmann, "the Black Devil" as he was known to the Soviets. He downed 345 of their aircraft and 7 American aircraft during the war. Also surrendering to the 90th that day, was Hartmann's unit, the Jagdgeshwader 52, which claimed over 10,000 aerial victories.

The 90th was comprised of men who were awarded over 6100 Bronze Stars, 1400+ Silver Stars, 54 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 4 recipients of the Medal of Honor. Those men were:

Sergeant John D. "Bud" Hawk

Company E, 359th Infantry, 90th Infantry Division

PFC Foster J. Sayers

Company L, 357th Infantry, 90th Infantry Division

Technical Sergeant Eugene Everhart Sr.

 Company H, 359th Infantry, 90th Infantry Division

Corporal Edward A. Bennett

 Company B, 358th Infantry, 90th Infantry Division

The 90th returned stateside in December, 1945 and was deactivated. A valued part of Patton's 3rd Army, he once said of the division, "Sometimes I don't think you know how ___ ____ good you are. You are the best soldiers in the world. It was a great honor to command you." While Patton may have spoken similar words to others, those are indeed hefty praise coming from him. I have no doubt that he meant them.

The men of the 90th, spread among many different units, were very much a huge part of the victory in Europe. From intensive training, to the invasion of Normandy and the march through battle after bloody battle until Germany was defeated was no small thing. The number of men lost was staggering. They lost more than they started with. Constant re-enforcement kept the units running like a well oiled machine that would not stop until the job was done. 

There have been at least 25 notable books written about the 90th or elements of the 90th, a great list can be found on the 90th Division Association's website at: Books About the 90th. There look to be some really good reads in here.

Not many remain from these warriors who fought so incredibly valiantly so many years ago. It is a privilege for me to learn and share as much about them as I can. I encourage you to dig further as well. There is a wealth of information out there if you have the time and desire to look for it. Let's not forget these men. Honor them by getting to know about what they did. The sacrifices they made are overwhelming if you think about it. So many gave so much of themselves for each other and for the freedoms, not only that we enjoy, but for the freedoms of people halfway around the world whom they didn't even know. Some of the towns throughout Europe seem to hold these heroes in higher reverance than do many of our own citizens. This is a sad fact that should not be tolerated. Honor them. Remember them. Cherish them!

#Tuesday Troops - 3rd Army

The 3rd Army, notably commanded by Patton in WW2, was comprised of  26 infantry divisions, 13 armored divisions and 3 other divisions. We will be taking a look into these over the coming weeks on our weekly #TuesdayTroops feature.

This Army's history, especially during World War 2 is nothing short of amazing. Much has been written, and we will add to that soon.

#TuesdaysTroops - VAW-123 Screwtops

Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW-123) are an Operational Fleet Squadron attached to Carrier Air Wing 3 (CVW-3). Based out of Naval Air Station Norfolk they are currently deployed aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69). They operate the E-2C Hawkeye, an all-weather tactical airborne early warning aircraft.

VAW-123 started in 1945 with the commissioning of Composite Squadron Twelve (VC-12). In 1956, they were re-designated as Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron Twelve (VAW-12). This change resulted in the establishment of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Wing 12 (CAEWW-12) and the commissioning of all E-2A detachments as independent squadrons. One of those squadrons, Detachment 59, became VAW-123 on April 1, 1967.

In June, 1967, VAW-123 set sail aboard the USS Forrestal for Vietnam. They were the first east coast VAW squadron to go to war. On July 29 of that same year, the Forrestal, while in the Gulf of Tonkin suffered a huge fire that killed 134 crewmen and left many injured. The fire also destroyed many aircraft and left the ship unable to continue its service in the war. The VAW-123 had no injuries or loss of life and only minimal damage to some of its E-2A aircraft.

Initially they were attached to Carrier Air Wing 17 (CVW-17) aboard the Forrestal. After the fire, they became part of CVW-3 aboard the USS Saratoga where they remained through the 1970's. Serving in the early part of the decade back in Vietnam before returning to Norfolk in 1973.

Through the 1980's they were attached to CVW-11 and CVW-1, and served aboard the USS America until she was de-commissioned in 1987. They saw several extended deployments in the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, keeping watch over world events the whole time. They also participated in the Gulf of Sidra events and were an integral part of the first combat usage of both the HARM and Harpoon weapons systems.

In more recent years, they have been a part of many operations in many countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Bosnia. Some of the many misions they have been involved in include Desert Shield/Storm, Deny Flight, Deliberate Force, Mountain Resolve, New Dawn,  OIF and OEF. They have been cited on may occasions for efficiency, winning 13 Battle "E"/s and 9 Safety awards. They have played a huge role in the modern battlefield conditions where readiness and technology have seamlessly worked together to produce the highest level of support for air and ground operations. The Hawkeye aircraft have no equal in the sky and give the U.S. a tremendous advantage in the age of modern electronic warfare and the Screwtops of the VAW-123 have evolved step by step with the incredibly rapidly changing technology in order to provide the units that depend on them with the ultimate confidence they rely on to get the job done.

The level of service these folks provide has been top notch from their inception forward and many battles could have turned out very differently without their eyes and ears overlooking the battlefields of the world. Many in the air and on the ground owe them their lives in some instances. They will tell you how much they depend on the Screwtops and how much they appreciate what they do. They are a highly respected group among those who serve and they deserve every accolade they receive. 

Thank you for your years of service and dedication to those you serve with and those of us who reap the rewards of your hard work, our freedom!