Hall of Fame Inductees
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Class VIII, Second Lieutenant Erwin R. Bleckley
1894-1918
Second Lieutenant Erwin R. Bleckley, a native of Wichita, Kansas, received the Medal of Honor posthumously for heroic actions as a Field Artillery Forward Observer in finding and assisting the “Lost Battalion” of the 77th Division during World War I. He was killed in the crash of his biplane while delivering supplies to the unit. He had enlisted in Battery F, First Field Artillery, Kansas National Guard, which became part of the 35th Infantry Division at Camp Doniphan, Oklahoma upon mobilization for World War I. He later joined the 50th Aero Squadron, Army Air Service, serving with distinction until his death. He was buried in France, near the place where he was killed.
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Class VIII, First Lieutenant Lyle J. Bouck, Jr.
First Lieutenant Lyle J. Bouck, Jr., was one of the youngest officers in the U. S. Army during World War II, and was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, and the Presidential Unit Citation for heroic actions in leading his Intel & Recon Platoon in a delay of the attacking German Sixth Panzer Army during the Battle of the Bulge. He was mobilized with the 35th Infantry Division in 1940, serving with the unit from Camp Robinson, Arkansas to California, before completing Officer Candidate School and joining the 99th Division as an Intel & Recon Platoon leader. Captured during the action, he was released as a Prisoner of War in 1945, and returned to his hometown of St. Louis.
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Class VIII, Captain Joseph B. Scully
1919-1944
Captain Joseph B. Scully commanded Company F, 2d Battalion, 134th Infantry during the march into Europe, prior to being mortally wounded by mortar fire in action in Normandy, France, on July 28, 1944. He had landed on Omaha Beach with his unit on July 6, 1944, and led the unit in the attack on St. Lo. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart for leading his unit, first on a counterattack against the Germans, then or a reconnaissance patrol through hostile fire to obtain valuable information on enemy positions and strength. Then, although slightly wounded, he led his unit on a 700-yard advance in the battle which followed and led to his death by mortar fire on July 28, 1944.