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Belated Medal of Honor for Master Sgt. Woodrow Keeble
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dan.e-@topsarge.com
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Feb 23, 2008 08:51 PST
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At a White House ceremony on March 3, Pres. Bush will present a
posthumous, and delayed, Medal of Honor to MSgt. Woodrow Keeble for
actions above & beyond the call of duty while serving with the 164th
Inf. Rgt., 2/19th Inf., 24th ID during Korean war combat, Oct. 1951.
Below: a profile of MSgt Keeble from the Army's Medal of Honor site
and a statement by S. Dakota Sen. Thune on his valorous actions. Note:
The 164th Inf. Rgt. was the first US Army unit ashore on Guadalcanal,
where it served with Marines who commended it for combat prowess.
Barry Dwyer
Master Sergeant Woodrow W. Keeble
Korean War Veteran
Mr. Woodrow W. Keeble will posthumously receive the Medal of Honor
during a White House ceremony on March 3, 2008.
Spouse: Nettie Keeble (deceased) Blossom Keeble (deceased)
Children: Earl Keeble (deceased), Stepson Russ Hawkins, Stepdaughter
Kathryn Akipa
Date of Birth: May 16, 1917 Waubay, South Dakota
US Army service:
WWII
Korean War
For actions in combat, Master Sergeant Keeble received the Distinguished
Service Cross, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts and
the Combat Infantryman Badge
Units of Service: North Dakota National Guard’s 164th Infantry Regiment
and G Co., 2nd Bn., 19th Inf. Reg, 24th ID
Woodrow W. Keeble’s life before and after service in the Army:
An athletic man in his youth, Master Sergeant Keeble was being recruited
by the Chicago White Sox when he was called to duty in WWII. Upon
returning to North Dakota after the war, Woodrow taught at the Whapeton
Indian School, which he himself had attended after his mother passed
away when he was a child. Woodrow was again called to service during the
Korean War, where he notably volunteered as an individual augmentee from
the 164th Inf. Reg. to deploy to Korea.
When Woodrow returned from the Korean War, he resumed teaching at the
Whapeton Indian School. Unfortunately, soon after his return he was
diagnosed with tuberculosis, which required the removal of one of his
lungs. The surgery triggered a series of strokes leaving Woodrow
speechless and partially paralyzed. Several months later his wife of 14
years, Nettie, passed away, leaving Woodrow to care for their young son
Earl. In 1967, Woodrow married Blossom Iris Crawford-Hawkins, the first
Sioux woman to complete a PhD program, including doctoral dissertation
at the University of South Dakota. In 1982, Sergeant Keeble passed away.
His valor on the battlefield was legendary. Friends, family and four
U.S. Senators in North and South Dakota continued their pursuit for the
Medal of Honor for Woodrow even after his death.
Woodrow W. Keeble on the battlefield:
His strength, size and prowess as a warrior led fellow Soldier James
Fenelon, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe who fought with
Woodrow at Guadalcanal, to say, “The safest place to be was right next
to Woody.”
Woodrow’s bravery in combat, leading Soldiers, is beyond question. Of
his call to duty, Woodrow said, “There were terrible moments that
encompassed a lifetime, an endlessness, when terror was so strong in me,
that I could feel idiocy replace reason. (Yet,) I have never left my
position, nor have I shirked hazardous duty. Fear did not make a coward
out of me."
Woodrow volunteered for duty when members of the 164th Inf. Reg. were
called to fight in the Korean War. When asked why, Woodrow replied,
“Somebody has to teach these kids how to fight.”
Sen. John Thune: "The Medal of Honor is the highest distinction a
soldier can earn, and Master Sergeant Woodrow Keeble's valiant service
certainly deserves this recognition," said Thune. "Master Sergeant
Keeble's legacy is a great source of pride for his family, his fellow
Dakota Sioux, and all South Dakotans. I am honored to have played a role
in securing this distinction for him."
On approximately October 15, 1951, in the vicinity of Kumsong, North
Korea, all of the officers of the G Company were either wounded or
killed during enemy combat. Master Sergeant Keeble voluntarily led the
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Platoons in three successful assaults. Armed with
grenades and a rifle, Keeble then single handedly eliminated three
four-man pillboxes. Keeble was severely wounded with at least five
separate injuries to his chest, both arms, and both legs. Master
Sergeant Keeble was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross, the
Silver Star, the Bronze Star First Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Purple
Heart with the Oak Leaf Cluster. He was recommended for the Medal of
Honor, but never received it."
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