Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Nelson Miles Holderman (November 10, 1885 – September 3, 1953) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

, most notable for commanding a

rifle company A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–250 soldiers and usually commanded by a major or a captain. Most companies are formed of three to seven platoons, although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure. ...

of the Lost Battalion during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

for which he received 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 valo ...

. He was considered by many to be one of the most decorated American soldiers of the war.The Tustin Area Historical Society, Lovret, Juanita. ''Remembering Capt. Nelson Holderman of the Lost Battalion''
Retrieved June 12, 2015.

Biography

Holderman was born in

Trumbull, Nebraska Trumbull is a village in Adams and Clay Counties in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The population was 198 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hastings, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Trumbull is located at 40°40'45" North ...

, on 10 November 1885 to Upton Christian Holderman, Jr. and Mary Morse. His father had served as a Private in Company "A", 22nd Iowa Infantry Regiment during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. He was named Nelson Miles Holderman after

Nelson A. Miles Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was an American military general who served in the American Civil War, the American Indian Wars, and the Spanish–American War. From 1895 to 1903, Miles served as the last Commanding Gen ...

, a leading officer in the Civil War and recipient of the

. He was the second oldest son in a family which included three older sisters and two brothers. In 1893, his family moved to

Tustin, California Tustin is a city located in Orange County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In 2020, Tustin had a population of 80,276. The city is located next to the county seat, Santa Ana, and does not include the unincorporated community ...

, where his parents bought of land to grow

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

walnuts A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, ''Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true bot ...

and

apricots An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus '' Prunus''. Usually, an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are al ...

Early military career

In 1916, Holderman enlisted as a private in the Santa Ana unit of the

California Army National Guard The California Army National Guard (CA ARNG) is one of three components of the California National Guard, a reserve of the United States Army, and part of the National Guard of the United States. The California Army National Guard is composed o ...

. From June to October of that year, he participated in patrols on the

United States–Mexico border United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

during the time of

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (, Orozco rebelled in March 1912, both for Madero's continuing failure to enact land reform and because he felt insufficiently rewarded for his role in bringing the new president to power. At the request of Madero's c ...

's raids. Holderman quickly rose through the ranks and by the time of the

American entry into World War I American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, which occurred on April 6, 1917, he was a captain, and a

company commander A company commander is the commanding officer of a company, a military unit which typically consists of 100 to 250 soldiers, often organized into three or four smaller units called platoons. The exact organization of a company varies by countr ...

in charge of Company L, 160th Infantry, 40th Infantry Division of his Santa Ana unit.

World War I

Upon arrival on the Western Front the following year his company was assigned as replacements for Company K of the 307th Infantry Regiment, part of the 77th Division of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). Even though Holderman was a replacement officer for Company K, he was very well respected by the soldiers under his command due in part to his previous experience prior to the war.Laplander, ''op. cit.'' p 210 As an officer he was regarded as a "soldier's soldier" who never turned down a patrol and saw his military service as "an adventure".Johnson, ''op. cit.'' p 50 His unit took part in the

Meuse–Argonne offensive The Meuse–Argonne offensive (also known as the Meuse River–Argonne Forest offensive, the Battles of the Meuse–Argonne, and the Meuse–Argonne campaign) was a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along t ...

in late September 1918. On October 3 a major offensive began whose purpose was to break the German line in the Argonne forest. Of all the units who took part in the initial assault, elements of two battalions under the command of Major Charles Whittlesey were able to break through. However, as the only units to have reached their objectives they had gone too far into German territory and were subsequently cut off. Initial attempts were made to reach Whittlesey and his men but all the units were met with heavy resistance and had to pull back. Only Holderman's Company K, composed of 97 men, had managed to reach Major Whittlesey's units which, incorrectly became known as " The Lost Battalion" even though there were officially two elements of a battalion. With not enough men able to close the distance between Whittlesey and the American lines, Holderman and his company subsequently became part of the Lost Battalion. Holderman was tasked to command the right flank. Though severely wounded early on in the five-day siege, Holderman continued to lead his men until finally being relieved. The war came to an end just over a month later, on

November 11, 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

at 11:00am.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, 307th Infantry, 77th Division. Place and date: At Charlevaux, Argonne Forest, France; 2–8 October 1918. Entered service at: Santa Ana, California. Birth: November 10, 1885; Trumbull, Nebraska. General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 11 (March 12, 1921). Citation:

Captain Holderman commanded a company of a battalion which was cut off and surrounded by the enemy. He was wounded on 4, 5, and 7 October, but throughout the entire period, suffering great pain and subjected to fire of every character, he continued personally to lead and encourage the officers and men under his command with unflinching courage and with distinguished success. On 6 October, in a wounded condition, he rushed through enemy machinegun and shell fire and carried two wounded men to a place of safety.

Silver Star Citation

Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, 307th Infantry, 77th Division. General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 28 (1921). Citation:

By direction of the President, under the provisions of the act of Congress approved July 9, 1918 (Bul. No. 43, W.D., 1918), Captain (Infantry) Nelson Miles Holderman, United States Army, is cited for gallantry in action and a silver star may be placed upon the ribbon of the Victory Medals awarded him. Captain Holderman distinguished himself by gallantry in action while serving with the 307th Infantry, 77th Division, in action during an attack on the Depot de Machines, Argonne Forest, France, 30 September 1918. His leadership and gallantry were a splendid example to his officers and men.

Military awards

Holderman's military decorations and awards include:

After World War I

After the war, Holderman rejoined the National Guard and continued to serve for many years, eventually retiring with the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

. He was appointed as the commandant of the Veterans Home of California Yountville in

Yountville, California Yountville ( or ) is a city in Napa County, in the Wine Country of California, United States. Located in the North Bay region of the Bay Area, the population was 3,436 at the 2020 census. Almost a third of the town's population lives at the Ve ...

caring for veterans. He served from 1923 until his retirement in 1953 during which time he greatly expanded the home. After his death, the Veterans Home was renamed to the Nelson M. Holderman in his honor. Though he was regarded as a national hero, he never used his status for personal gain.

Namesakes

The Captain Nelson M. Holderman U.S. Army Reserve Center in

West Los Angeles, California West Los Angeles is an area within the city of Los Angeles, California. The residential and commercial neighborhood is divided by the Interstate 405 freeway, and each side is sometimes treated as a distinct neighborhood, mapped differently by di ...

is named in his honor, as is the main building on the grounds, Holderman Hall.

In popular culture

In the 2001 made-for-TV movie '' The Lost Battalion'', Holderman was played by Adam James. In the last scene of the 1962 film ''

The Manchurian Candidate ''The Manchurian Candidate'' is a novel by Richard Condon, first published in 1959. It is a political thriller about the son of a prominent U.S. political family who is brainwashed into being an unwitting assassin for a Communist conspiracy. Th ...

'', Frank Sinatra's character reads the Medal of Honor citations for Holderman and Daniel R. Edwards.

Notes

References

* *

External links

Medal of Honor Recipients on Film
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holderman, Nelson M. United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army colonels People from Trumbull, Nebraska Recipients of the Silver Star Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Officers of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Knights of the Order of Leopold II Recipients of the War Cross for Military Valor 1885 births 1953 deaths Military personnel from Nebraska World War I recipients of the Medal of Honor Burials at Golden Gate National Cemetery People from Yountville, California United States Army personnel of World War I