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Duane Kimbrow-Historian
to remember
Childers, Ernest L., LTC USA(Ret).
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Contact Info
Last Address Broken Arrow
Date of Passing Mar 17, 2005
Location of Interment Floral Haven Memorial Gardens - Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Second Lieutenant Ernest "Chief" Childers, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action on 22 September 1943, at Oliveto, Italy, while serving with Company C, 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division.
Although Second Lieutenant Childers previously had just suffered a fractured instep he, with eight enlisted men, advanced up a hill toward enemy machinegun nests. The group advanced to a rock wall overlooking a cornfield and Second Lieutenant Childers ordered a base of fire laid across the field so that he could advance. When he was fired upon by two enemy snipers from a nearby house he killed both of them. He moved behind the machinegun nests and killed all occupants of the nearer one. He continued toward the second one and threw rocks into it. When the two occupants of the nest raised up, he shot one. The other was killed by one of the eight enlisted men. Second Lieutenant Childers continued his advance toward a house farther up the hill, and single-handed, captured an enemy mortar observer.
The exceptional leadership, initiative, calmness under fire, and conspicuous gallantry displayed by Second Lieutenant Childers were an inspiration to his men.
General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 30 (April 8, 1944) Action Date: 22-Sep-43
Service: Army
Rank: Second Lieutenant
Company: Company C
Regiment: 180th Infantry Regiment
Division: 45th Infantry Division
Other Comments:
See Notes
Lt. Colonel Childers was of the Muskogee (Creek) Nation from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
WWII - European Theater of Operations/Naples-Foggia Campaign (1943-44)
From Month/Year
August / 1943
To Month/Year
January / 1944
Description (Naples-Foggia Campaign 18 Aug 1943-21 Jan 1944 (Air); 9 Sep 1943-21 Jan 1944 (Ground) After Allied bombardment of communications and airfields in Italy, Montgomery crossed the Strait of Messina on 3 September 1943 and started northward. Five days later Eisenhower announced that the Italian Government had surrendered. Fifth Army, under Clark, landed at Salerno on g September and managed to stay despite furious counterattacks. By 18 September the Germans were withdrawing northward. On 27 September Eighth Army occupied the important airfields of Foggia, and on I October Fifth Army took Naples. As the Allies pushed up the peninsula, the enemy slowed the advance and brought it to a halt at the Gustav Line.
