Willie Sandlin (January 1, 1890 – May 29, 1949) was a soldier in the

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 ...

who 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 valor. ...

for his actions 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 ...

Early life

Willie Sandlin was born in

Breathitt County Breathitt County ( ) is a county in the eastern Appalachian portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 13,718. Its county seat is Jackson. The county was formed in 1839 and was named for John B ...

. Born of humble parents, he lost his mother when he was a small boy.

Military service

He enlisted in the Army in 1912 and served on the Mexican border. In 1917, he was sent to France with the 132d Infantry. Promoted to sergeant, Sandlin single-handedly destroyed three German machine gun emplacements and killed 24 of the enemy on September 26, 1918, at Bois de Forges. For that action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on February 9, 1919. He was the only Kentuckian to receive the Medal of Honor in World War I. Of all the American servicemen who fought in the war, only Sergeant

Alvin York Alvin Cullum York (December 13, 1887 – September 2, 1964), also known as Sergeant York, was one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine ...

received more decorations for valor than Sandlin.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company A, 132d Infantry, 33d Division. Place and date: At Bois-de-Forges, France, 26 September 1918. Entered service at: Hyden, Ky. Birth: Jackson, Ky. G.O. No.: 16, W.D., 1919. ;Citation

He showed conspicuous gallantry in action by advancing alone directly on a machinegun nest which was holding up the line with its fire. He killed the crew with a grenade and enabled the line to advance. Later in the day he attacked alone and put out of action 2 other machinegun nests, setting a splendid example of bravery and coolness to his men.

Later life

After the war, Sandlin returned to eastern Kentucky and bought a farm on Owls Nest Creek near Hyden. He and his wife, the former Belvia Roberts, were active in the

Frontier Nursing Service The Frontier Nursing Service was founded in 1925 by Mary Breckinridge and provides healthcare services to rural, underserved populations and educates nurse-midwives. The Service maintains six rural healthcare clinics in eastern Kentucky, the Ma ...

. They had one son and four daughters.

Death and legacy

Sandlin, then 59, died on May 29, 1949, of a lingering lung infection resulting from a poison gas attack on his company 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 th ...

. He was buried in Hurricane Cemetery near Hyden. In September 1990, his remains were reburied in the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville. Willie's wife, Belvia Roberts Sandlin, lived to be 96 years old. She died on February 11, 1999. Belvia was 47 years of age when Willie died and she never married again. In 2018, the family of Willie Sandlin donated several artifacts, including Sandlin's pistol, uniform, Medal of Honor and Bronze Star to th
Kentucky Historical Society
in Frankfort. The Kentucky General Assembly, during the 2016 regular session, named a new bridge crossing the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River on KY 30 in the Old Buck Community of Breathitt County the "Sergeant Willie Sandlin Memorial Bridge." State and local officials gathered at Highland-Turner Elementary School in Breathitt County on June 24, 2016, to formally dedicate the bridge in Sandlin's memory and hono

On May 3, 2018, his body was moved from the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville, to the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery Southeast in Leslie County Kentucky. Sgt. Sandlin and his wife Belvia Roberts Sandlin were the first burials at the cemetery.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sandlin, Willie 1890 births 1949 deaths Burials in Kentucky World War I recipients of the Medal of Honor United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army non-commissioned officers United States Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Kentucky People from Breathitt County, Kentucky People from Perry County, Kentucky People from Leslie County, Kentucky