RIP - Charles Henry Coolidge Sr, MoH recipient

Started by steve58, April 09, 2021, 11:46:25 AM

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steve58

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Tennessee has lost a beloved son and one of its bravest men.

Charles Henry Coolidge, 99, of Signal Mountain, passed away peacefully 6 April 2021, at Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, TN surrounded by family.

He was awarded a Bronze Star and a Silver Star in 1944 and the Medal of Honor in 1945 for his remarkable bravery in battle while serving with the 36th Infantry Division in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany during World War II. In 2006, he was belatedly awarded France's highest military decoration, the LĂ©gion d'honneur (Legion of Honor), by officials of the French consulate.

On June 16, 1942, he entered the Army and after training in Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina was sent to the European front in the spring of 1943. He saw service in North Africa, Italy (including the infamous crossing of the Rapido River and the Battle for Monte Cassino in early 1944), France and Germany and was part of the first American division to invade Europe during the war. On May 25, 1944 he landed at Anzio with the 36th Infantry Division and helped open the gates of Rome for the 5th Army. It was for his gallant actions at Anzio that he was awarded the Silver Star. He, along with the rest of the 36th Infantry Division, was then pulled out of Italy and the Division landed on the beaches of Southern France in August 1944 to begin their march toward the Siegfried Line.

In October 1944, just east of the small French town of Belmont-sur-Buttant, after securing their objective and leading a section of heavy machine guns and a platoon of men, Technical Sergeant Coolidge ran into an enemy force in the woods estimated to be an infantry company supported by tanks. There being no officer present, he immediately assumed command of the combat group and advanced, in the open, calling for the enemy force to surrender. The enemy answered immediately with automatic weapons fire and instead of taking cover, Technical Sergeant Coolidge immediately began to get his men dug in and coordinated a counter attack. Over the course of four harrowing days, the enemy launched repeated attacks against the position while Technical Sergeant Coolidge walked up and down the front line in direct line of fire, leading, calming, and reassuring his men, most of whom were fresh recruits. Outnumbered and outgunned, the small combat group was able to repeatedly repel the enemy force due to Coolidge's adept leadership. As the fighting carried into the fourth day, German reinforcements arrived, and two tanks advanced on Coolidge's position. It became apparent that the enemy would overrun their position and Coolidge directed an orderly withdrawal, being himself the last to leave the position. The platoon had held off an entire company of German infantry supported by tanks for four days, and not a single American life was lost. For his heroic and superior leadership over those intense four days of fighting, he was awarded the Medal of Honor in July 1945 at the age of 23.

https://www.mohhc.org/charles-coolidge-obituary/
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