Clinton M. Hedrick (May 1, 1918 – March 28, 1945) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for his actions in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

during

Operation Varsity Operation Varsity (24 March 1945) was a successful airborne forces operation launched by Allied troops that took place toward the end of World War II. Involving more than 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft, it was the largest air ...

. Not long after his actions he died of his wounds.

Biography

Hedrick joined the Army from

Riverton, West Virginia Riverton is an unincorporated community on the North Fork South Branch Potomac River in Pendleton County, West Virginia, United States. Riverton lies along U.S. Highway 33/West Virginia Route 28 in the Monongahela National Forest. Climate This ...

in September 1940,WWII Army Enlistment Records
/ref> and by March 27, 1945, was serving as a

technical sergeant Technical sergeant is the name of two current and two former enlisted ranks in the United States Armed Forces, as well as in the U.S. Civil Air Patrol. Outside the United States, it is used only by the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force and th ...

in Company I, 194th Glider Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division. On that day and the next, near Lembeck, Germany, he repeatedly charged through heavy fire to attack German positions and alone followed a group of German soldiers when they retreated into a castle. When the Germans indicated that they wished to surrender, Hedrick and four other men entered the castle, only to be fired upon by a German

self-propelled gun Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...

. Hedrick was fatally wounded, but successfully covered the withdrawal of his men. For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor seven months later, on October 19, 1945. Hedrick, aged 26 at his death, was buried in North Fork Memorial Cemetery,

Medal of Honor citation

Technical Sergeant Hedrick's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

He displayed extraordinary heroism and gallantry in action on 27 – March 28, 1945, in Germany. Following an airborne landing near
Wesel Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district. Geography Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine. Division of the city Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighove ...
, his unit was assigned as the assault platoon for the assault on Lembeck. Three times the landing elements were pinned down by intense
automatic weapons An automatic firearm is an auto-loading firearm that continuously chambers and fires rounds when the trigger mechanism is actuated. The action of an automatic firearm is capable of harvesting the excess energy released from a previous discharge ...
fire from strongly defended positions. Each time, T/Sgt. Hedrick fearlessly charged through heavy fire, shooting his
automatic rifle An automatic rifle is a type of autoloading rifle that is capable of fully automatic fire. Automatic rifles are generally select-fire weapons capable of firing in semi-automatic and automatic firing modes (some automatic rifles are capable of ...
from his hip. His courageous action so inspired his men that they reduced the enemy positions in rapid succession. When 6 of the enemy attempted a surprise, flanking movement, he quickly turned and killed the entire party with a burst of fire. Later, the enemy withdrew across a moat into Lembeck Castle. T/Sgt. Hedrick, with utter disregard for his own safety, plunged across the drawbridge alone in pursuit. When a German soldier, with hands upraised, declared the garrison wished to surrender, he entered the castle yard with 4 of his men to accept the capitulation. The group moved through a
sally port A sally port is a secure, controlled entry way to an enclosure, e.g., a fortification or prison. The entrance is usually protected by some means, such as a fixed wall on the outside, parallel to the door, which must be circumvented to enter an ...
, and was met by fire from a German self-propelled gun. Although mortally wounded, T/Sgt. Hedrick fired at the enemy gun and covered the withdrawal of his comrades. He died while being evacuated after the castle was taken. His great personal courage and heroic leadership contributed in large measure to the speedy capture of Lembeck and provided an inspiring example to his comrades.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hedrick, Clinton M. 1918 births 1945 deaths United States Army personnel killed in World War II United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from Pendleton County, West Virginia United States Army soldiers Military personnel from West Virginia World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

Notes

External links