World War II Honoree

Charles H. Coolidge

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Signal Mountain, Tennessee

Honored By

Ralph Bozorth

HE WAS AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR. TECHNICAL SERGEANT, U.S. ARMY, COMPANY M, 141ST INFANTRY, 36TH INFANTRY DIVISION. PLACE AND DATE: EAST OF BELMONT SUR BUTTANT, FRANCE ON OCTOBER 24-27, 1944. ENTERED SERVICE AT SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, TENNESSEE. CITATION: 'LEADING A SECTION OF HEAVY MACHINE GUNS SUPPORTED BY 1 PLATOON OF COMPANY K, HE TOOK A POSITION NEAR HILL 623, EAST OF BELMONT SUR BUTTANT, FRANCE ON OCTOBER 24 1944, WITH THE MISSION OF COVERING THE RIGHT FLANK OF THE 3RD BATTALION AND SUPPORTING ITS ACTION. TECHNICAL SERGEANT COOLIDGE WENT FORWARD WITH A SERGEANT OF COMPANY K TO RECONNOITER POSITIONS FOR COORDINATING THE FIRES OF THE LIGHT AND HEAVY MACHINE GUNS. THEY RAN INTO AN ENEMY FORCE IN THE WOODS ESTIMATED TO BE AN INFANTRY COMPANY. TECHNICAL SERGEANT COOLIDGE, ATTEMPTING TO BLUFF THE GERMANS BY A SHOW OF ASSURANCE AND BOLDNESS CALLED UPON THEM TO SURRENDER, WHEREUPON THE ENEMY OPENED FIRE. WITH HIS CARBINE, TECHNICAL SERGEANT COOLIDGE WOUNDED 2 OF THEM. THERE BEING NO OFFICER PRESENT WITH THE FORCE, TECHNICAL SERGEANT COOLIDGE AT ONCE ASSUMED COMMAND. MANY OF THE MEN WERE REPLACEMENTS RECENTLY ARRIVED; THIS WAS THEIR FIRST EXPERIENCE UNDER FIRE. TECHNICAL SERGEANT COOLIDGE, UNMINDFUL OF THE ENEMY FIRE DELIVERED AT CLOSE RANGE, WALKED ALONG THE POSITION, CALMING AND ENCOURAGING HIS MEN AND DIRECTING THEIR FIRE. THE ATTACK WAS THROWN BACK. THROUGH THE 25TH AND 26TH OF OCTOBER THE ENEMY LAUNCHED REPEATED ATTACKS AGAINST THE POSITION OF THIS COMBAT GROUP BUT EACH WAS REPULSED DUE TO TECHNICAL SERGEANT COOLIDGE'S ABLE LEADERSHIP. ON OCTOBER 27 THE GERMAN INFANTRY, SUPPORTED BY 2 TANKS, MADE A DETERMINED ATTACK ON THE POSITION. THE AREA WAS SWEPT BY ENEMY SMALL ARMS, MACHINE GUN, AND TANK FIRE. TECHNICAL SERGEANT COOLIDGE ARMED HIMSELF WITH A BAZOOKA AND ADVANCED TO WITHIN 25 YARDS OF THE TANKS. HIS BAZOOKA FAILED TO FUNCTION AND HE THREW IT ASIDE. SECURING ALL THE HAND GRENADES HE COULD CARRY, HE CRAWLED FORWARD AND INFLICTED HEAVY CASUALTIES ON THE ADVANCING ENEMY. FINALLY IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE ENEMY, IN GREATLY SUPERIOR FORCE, SUPPORTED BY TANKS, WOULD OVERRUN THE POSITION. TECHNICAL SERGEANT COOLIDGE, DISPLAYING GREAT COOLNESS AND COURAGE, DIRECTED AND CONDUCTED AN ORDERLY WITHDRAWAL, BEING HIMSELF THE LAST TO LEAVE THE POSITION. AS A RESULT OF TECHNICAL SERGEANT COOLIDGE'S HEROIC AND SUPERIOR LEADERSHIP, THE MISSION OF THIS COMBAT GROUP WAS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGHOUT 4 DAYS OF CONTINUOUS FIGHTING AGAINST NUMERICALLY SUPERIOR ENEMY TROOPS IN RAIN AND COLD AND AMID DENSE WOODS'.