Capt Eli L. Whiteley Medal of Honor US Army

 

 Ok, a slight deviation from my usual Medal of Honor recipient list.  That list has and will contain all the Medal of Honor recipients from the USAF and it's preceding organizations.  I have veered occasionally when I've come across a hero that interested me.  (OK, every one I've read about has interested me. Mea Culpa!)

This one is one of 9 that have a special interest for me.  All 9 are alumni from a College in Texas that I did not attend, but my children have and my grandchildren will.  I'll give you out of town folks a hint, it's located in College Station TX.  Anyhow, on with the show!

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This fine gentleman is Captain Eli Lamar Whitely, an infantry man in the US Army.  Born in 1913, he was a little older than the average draftee in to the Army in WWII.  He was drafted in 1942.  (You can do the math.)

For those of you interested in the details of how he got to where he got, there's a well written and detailed article Here.  I'll be waiting til you get back.

 

 

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So, welcome back.  Capt. Whitely is now assigned as a rifle-platoon leader in Company L, Fifteenth Infantry Regiment, Third Infantry Division in France which quickly moved into Germany.  As they approached a village named Bennwihr, they ran into stiff opposition.  He entered that food fight with 125 troops and only had 56 operationally capable at the end of the day. Sometimes the enemy has an edge.

 

 

Looked a bit different back then!   Source

Or from a different view. I suspect that air power and artillery had something to do in prepping this picture.

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And now

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 The next day they attacked the nearby village of Sigolsheim with similar preparation.

 However, the opposition was a bit stiffer.

"On December 27 Lieutenant Whitley distinguished himself as he led his platoon in “savage house-to-house fighting.” Making use of a submachine gun, grenades, and a bazooka, Whiteley aggressively attacked three houses, lost an eye, suffered severe wounds, and “killed 9 Germans, captured 23 more and spearheaded an attack which cracked the core of enemy resistance in a vital area.”  Source

 

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 For this leadership and execution he was awarded the Medal of honor, which was pinned on him by President Truman.

After recovering from wounds and medically discharged, he returned to Texas A&M and earned his PhD in Agronomy, passing away in 1986. Rest in Peace, Sir! 

Where do we find such warriors! 

Citation for the Medal of Honor to Dr. Eli Lamar Whitelyey

While leading his platoon on 27 December 1944, in savage house-to-house fighting through the fortress town of Sigolsheim, Germany, he attacked a building through a street swept by withering mortar and automatic-weapon fire. He was hit and severely wounded in the arm and shoulder; but he charged into the house alone and killed its two defenders. Hurling smoke and fragmentation grenades before him, he reached the next house and stormed inside, killing two and capturing 11 of the enemy. He continued leading his platoon in the extremely dangerous task of clearing hostile troops from strongpoints along the street until he reached a building held by fanatical Nazi troops. Although suffering from wounds which had rendered his left arm useless, he advanced on this strongly defended house and, after blasting out a wall with bazooka fire, charged through a hail of bullets. Wedging his submachine gun under his uninjured arm, he rushed into the house through the hole torn by his rockets, killed five of the enemy, and forced the remaining 12 to surrender. As he emerged to continue his fearless attack, he was again hit and critically wounded. In agony and with one eye pierced by a shell fragment, he shouted for his men to follow him to the next house. He was determined to stay in the fighting and remained at the head of his platoon until forcibly evacuated. By his disregard for personal safety, his aggressiveness while suffering from severe wounds, his determined leadership and superb courage, 1st Lt. Whiteley killed nine Germans, captured 23 more, and spearheaded an attack which cracked the core of enemy resistance in a vital area.

 

Sounds like a Hero to me! 

 

For those of you "mapophiles"

The village is marked by the 1 above Colmar 

DuckDuckGo 

 

Map of Sigolsheim Wikipedia

 

Sources

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_L._Whiteley

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/whiteley-eli-lamar