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Class V Biographies Inducted in 2013
Second
Lieutenant Albert J. Gibeau, Jr.
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1920-1945
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Second Lieutenant Albert J. Gibeau, Jr. served
with Co D, 320th Inf Regt, from 1943 until his battlefield death in
1945. As a Staff Sergeant and Squad
Leader, he received a Bronze Star for heroic leadership on July 15, 1944 in
withdrawing and re-setting his machine gun position while under heavy enemy
fire. Given a battlefield commission,
he was wounded on Jan. 7, 1945 while personally leading assault troops to
their objective. On Jan. 15, 1945, he
was awarded the Silver Star for heroic actions in moving machine gun and
rifle emplacements to the unit’s flank.
He was killed by enemy artillery fire while moving the guns. He is buried in the Luxembourg American
Cemetery.
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Technical
Sergeant Donald L. Giles
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1919-1945
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Technical Sergeant Donald L. Giles, a member of G
Company, 320thInf Regt, received the Silver Star and three Purple Hearts in
World War II. He was taken prisoner on Apr. 15, 1945, being shot in the hip
during the capture, and died from lack of medical care on Apr. 16, 1945. He
landed in Normandy with his unit, was first shot in the shoulder by a sniper
on July 11, 1945, but received the Silver Star for his courageous leadership
under fire. He was wounded a second
time on Nov. 8, 1944, returned to duty on Mar. 13, 1945, and led his unit in
crossing the Saale River and holding a bridgehead on Apr. 15, 1945 before
being captured. He is buried in Plot E, Row 11, Grave 26, Margraten Cemetery,
the Netherlands.
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Private
First Class James G. Graff
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Born
1925
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Private First Class James G. Graff served in
combat with C Company, 134th Inf Regt, from January of 1945 to the end of WW
II. Engaged in heavy combat as a BAR
man, he first joined the unit during the Battle of the Bulge. He was engaged in the battle for Arloncourt,
Belgium; Weiswampach, Luxembourg; the crossing of the Roer River; taking of
the towns of Wassenberg, Geldern, and Recklinghausen, Germany; and occupation
duty at Hannover, Germany. He is the
author of "A Soldier's Story:
Reflections of a Combat Infantryman." He served as president of the 35th Division
Association in 2002 and 2008, and has been a long-time member of the 35th Div
Assn Exec. Board, representing the 134th Inf Regt.
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Captain
Elwin I. Shopteese
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1921-1992
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Captain Elwin I. Shopteese, a member of the
Prairie Band Potawatomi Indian Nation from Jackson County, KS, enlisted and
served in E Company, 137th Inf.
Mobilized with his unit in 1940, he trained with them until landing on
Omaha Beach in early July, 1944. He
quickly received a battlefield commission for heroic leadership in
Normandy. He led his platoon through
the battles of Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central
Europe, receiving a Bronze Star for heroic leadership while leading a patrol
into Germany. He is recalled by his
men as a fearless leader who always protected his men. Later serving in the Korean War, he died on
June 25, 1992, and is buried in Potawatomi Nation soil.
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First
Lieutenant Odie T. Stallcup
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1918-2003
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First Lieutenant Odie T. Stallcup initially
served in D Company, 137th Inf, then commanded the Anti-Tank Platoon, Hqs Co,
1st Bn, 137th Inf, through 226 days of combat in Normandy, Northern France,
Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe.
He received the Distinguished Service Cross on Sept. 27, 1944 for heroic
actions, while wounded, in personally manning an anti-tank gun, then leading
a successful attack which inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. He then organized an effective defense
before seeking medical treatment.
Following WW II, he received a PhD from the University of Missouri,
then taught at the University of Arkansas for 40 years, receiving many
civilian awards. He died on Aug. 11,
2003.
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Technical
Sergeant John E. "Gene" Weick
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1920-2012
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Technical Sergeant John E. "Gene" Weick, Falls City, NE,
was a member of B Company, 134th Inf Regt.
After entry on active duty in 1940, he trained with his unit for three
years before entering combat in Normandy on July 6, 1944. Wounded at St. Lo, he received the Silver
Star for braving heavy machine gun fire to rescue a wounded soldier. Evacuated to England, he returned to his
unit in the Ardennes on Dec. 31, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge. He received the Bronze Star on Feb. 26, 1945,
for heroic leadership in leading his men against the town of Hilforth, Germany,
during which he lost nine men and rescued a wounded member of his unit from a
minefield. Tech Sgt Weick died on Jan
5, 2012.
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