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Class I Biographies Inducted in 2009
Unnamed
Soldier
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I am unknown, but a veteran of service of the
past, currently serving, or will serve in the future, with the famed 35th
Infantry Division. My deeds in service, nor my service to family, city,
state, or nation, may never become fully revealed for consideration as a
member by name of the most honorable and distinguished 35th Division Hall of
Fame. I am known by those who loved me and, as such, with pride from my view,
wherever it may be, I am proud to serve as an unnamed member of the 35th
Division Hall of Fame. It being that those individuals who had the vision for
creating the 35th Division Hall of Fame and those individuals who are
implementing the program selected me as the first inductee into this
distinguished grouping of individuals. I shall always be proud in pronouncing
my love for freedom, liberty, and the Santa Fe Division.
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Captain
Alexander R. Skinker
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1883-1918
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Captain Alexander R. Skinker, who served with the
138th Infantry, 35th Infantry Division, during World War I, received the
Medal of Honor for actions during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive on September
26, 1918. Unwilling to sacrifice his men when his company was held up by
withering machine gun fire from iron pillboxes in the Hindenburg Line, Captain
Skinker personally led an automatic rifleman and a carrier in an attack on
the machine guns. The carrier was killed instantly, but Captain Skinker
seized the ammunition and continued through an opening in the barbed wire,
firing the automatic rifle until he, too, was killed. He is buried in St.
Louis, Missouri.
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Private
Nels T. Wold
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1895-1918
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Private Nels T. Wold received the Medal of Honor
as a Private in Company I, 138th Infantry, 35th Division, during the
Meuse-Argonne Offensive on September 26, 1918. He advanced on a German
machine gun nest, silencing the gun, and bringing with him eleven prisoners.
Later that day, he jumped from a trench and rescued a comrade who was about
to be shot by a German officer, killing the German. He then volunteered four
more times to single-handedly attack machine gun nests and was killed by
machine gun fire which concealed a fifth emplacement. His comrades then
charged the position, killing the occupants and recovering Wold’s body. He is
buried in Elim Cemetery in his birthplace of Winger, Minnesota.
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Staff
Sergeant Junior James Spurrier
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1922-1984
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Staff Sergeant Junior J. Spurrier is the only
Medal of Honor recipient from the 35th Infantry Division in World War II. A
member of Company G, 134th Infantry, he received the Distinguished Service
Cross for actions at Lay St. Christopher, France for spearheading an assault
on a well-defended hill position. On November 13, 1944, in actions at Achain,
France, Staff Sergeant Spurrier advanced alone around the Village, killing 1
German officer and 24 enlisted men in a solitary attack using his Browning
Automatic Rifle, M-1 rifle, American and captured German rocket launchers,
and hand grenades. Spurrier died in 1984 at the age of 61, and is buried at
Mountain Home National Cemetery, Tennessee.
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Major
General Paul W. Baade
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1889-1959
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MG Paul W. Baade served as Asst. Division
Commander (1942) and Commander (1943-1945) of the 35th Infantry Division,
landing the Division in Europe July 5-7, 1944. He led the 35th Division
across Europe, and at the end of WW II his Division was the closest American
or British unit to Berlin. Commissioned from West Point in 1911, he served
with the 322nd Infantry in France during World War I. He later commanded the
16th Infantry prior to commanding the 35th Infantry Division. His decorations
included the Distinguished Service Medal, two Silver Stars, three Bronze
Stars, and the Purple Heart. He retired in September, 1946, and died in 1959.
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Colonel
Bernard Albert Byrne
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1898-1977
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Colonel Bernard A. Byrne commanded the 320th
Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division, through the Normandy, Northern
France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central European campaigns of World
War II. He assumed command of the 320th on 26 May 1944, and was particularly
aggressive in the battle of Venlo, Holland, in command of Task Force Byrne,
which also included the 784th Tank Battalion, the 654th Tank Destroyer
Battalion, and Field Artillery, Engineer, and Medical units. His unit was
also particularly instrumental in the battle at St. Lo. He was personally
decorated with the Silver Star by General George S. Patton.
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Colonel
Paul A. Fall
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1920-1995
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Colonel Paul A. Fall was awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross for gallantry in action during WW II. His unit,
Company G, 137th Infantry, was pinned down by enemy fire near the Meurthe
River during the Crossing at Chartreuse, France. Sergeant Fall crawled
forward alone and destroyed a German machine gun, then led his men in an
attack that destroyed two more. He served in the Normandy, Northern France,
Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central European campaigns, including the
capture of St. Lo and the Battle of the Bulge. Following the war, he remained
in the Kansas Army National Guard, commanding the 1st Bn, 137th Infantry and
serving in Vietnam in 1969.
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Staff
Sergeant Carl J. Frantz, Jr.
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1914-2004
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Staff Sergeant Carl J. Frantz, Jr., Co E, 137th
Infantry, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on 26 Sept 1944 for
heroism at Le Carillon, France on 11 July 1944. As Platoon Sergeant, he was
directing the withdrawal of his platoon under fire when two enemy machine
guns opened fire on his position. Wounded in the stomach and holding his
intestines with one hand, he seized a Browning Automatic Rifle and opened fire
on the enemy, allowing his men to withdraw to safety. As he withdrew, he shot
a sniper who had him under fire, then remained in a ditch until dark, when he
walked to a medical aid station for help. His actions saved his platoon from
possible annihilation. He died in 2004 at Lindsborg, Kansas.
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Major
William Graham Gillis, Jr.
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1918-1944
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Major William G. Gillis, Jr., a graduate of West
Point, received the Distinguished Service Cross for courageous leadership of
his unit, the 1st Bn, 320th Inf., as the 35th Division spearheaded Patton’s
Third Army sweep through France. On Sept. 15, 1944, while crossing the
Rhine-Marne Canal and the Sanon River, he disregarded his own safety to
personally direct the attack by wading and swimming across the river and
canal several times, and the 320th met its objective. On Sept. 27, 1944, the
Germans led a counterattack in the Gremecy Forest. Major Gillis went forward
to provide brave leadership, and there, among his men, Maj Gillis was hit by
a tree burst from an enemy mortar on Oct 1, 1944, dying on the field of
battle.
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Brigadier
General Thomas J. Kennedy
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Born
1920
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Brigadier General Thomas J. Kennedy served in the
European Theater during World War II, after being mobilized with the 35th
Infantry Division. He was in contact with the enemy for 125 continuous days
during 1944-45 in France and Germany, which included penetration of the
Siegried Line and the crossing of the Rhine and Danube Rivers. He served in
the 35th Division after World War II, and then as Exec. Officer of the 69th
Infantry Brigade when the 35th Division was inactivated in 1963. He commanded
the 69th Infantry Brigade at Fort Carson during the Vietnam War in 1968-69,
and as a Brigadier General until 1976 when he retired. He is a past president
of the 35th Division Association. He lives in Topeka, KS.
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Major
General Butler B. Miltonberger
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1897-1977
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Major General Butler B. Miltonberger served as
Commander of the 134th Infantry Regiment and Assistant Division Commander,
35th Infantry Division, during World War II, seeing action in battles at St.
Lo, Vire, Mortain, Montargis, Morhange, Sarreguemines, Bastogne, Alsace,
Venlo, and the Venlo River. In 1946 he was appointed Chief of the National
Guard Bureau, and was instrumental in reconstituting the National Guard of
the United States following World War II, as well as in the formation of the
Air National Guard. General Miltonberger died in 1977.
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Sergeant
Richard J. O’Brien
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Born
1924
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Sergeant Richard J. O’Brien served with
distinction in the 137th Infantry during World War II. As a Runner and Radio
Operator, he landed on Omaha Beach on July 6, 1944. Participating in the
Normandy Campaign, he was involved in the capture of St. Lo. As part of
Patton’s Third Army, he then was involved in the dash across France and the
capture of Orleans, being wounded at Vestry, France. He and his unit crossed
the Moselle River under fire and participated in the battle for Nancy,
France. On Dec. 21, he joined the attack toward Bastogne during the Battle of
the Bulge, and later was involved in crossing the Rhine and reaching the Elbe
River. He is a past president of the 35th Division Association.
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Captain
(President) Harry S Truman
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1896-1980
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Captain Harry S Truman distinguished himself as
Commander of Battery D, 129th Field Artillery, 35th Infantry Division, during
WW I. He led the Battery in battles at Vosges, St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, and
Verdun, displaying great courage and initiative while under enemy fire.
Offered a Regular Army commission after the war, he chose to remain in the
Organized Reserve Corps, eventually reaching the rank of Colonel. He became
President of the United States in 1945 on the death of President Franklin D.
Roosevelt, and served as President until 1952, following an upset victory in
1948. He is a past president of the 35th Division Association. He died in
1980, and is buried at the Truman Library, Independence, Missouri.
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