FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Melvin E Biddle ~ February 14, 2011

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

Melvin E. Biddle

Info from here and here.

           

Melvin Earl "Bud" Biddle (November 28, 1923 – December 16, 2010) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.

Biddle was born on November 28, 1923, in Daleville, Indiana, to Owen J. and Blanche Olive (Bowen) Biddle. He had two brothers, Ralph and Lee, and three sisters, Marie, Carolyn, and Eileen. A life-long resident of the area, Biddle attended elementary school in Daleville and graduated from Anderson High School in nearby Anderson, Indiana. He worked for Delco Remy in Anderson until being drafted into the U.S. Army.

By December 23, 1944, Biddle was serving in Europe as a private first class in Company B of the 1st Battalion, 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

The orders from Melvin E. Biddle's Army commander came quickly. The officer pointed at then-Pfc. Biddle and barked, "You! Out front!"

It was late December 1944 and a ragtag company of American cooks and clerks were stranded in Hotton, Belgium, about four miles from Mr. Biddle's unit near Soy.

The Battle of the Bulge had just begun, and the troops in Hotton were surrounded and outnumbered by German forces. They needed to be rescued. Leading the stealthy advance through the snowy forests was Mr. Biddle, who took over when his unit's two lead scouts were injured in a land-mine blast.

A week later, he was wounded in the neck by shrapnel which just missed his jugular vein. After recovering in England for several weeks, he headed back to his unit and on the way learned through an article in Stars and Stripes that he would be awarded the Medal of Honor.

For his actions during the battle near Soy, Biddle was awarded the Medal of Honor at the White House on October 30, 1945, by President Harry Truman. When presenting the medal to Biddle, Truman whispered "People don't believe me when I tell them that I'd rather have one of these than be President."

Biddle was later promoted to corporal. In addition to the Medal of Honor, he also received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

On December 1, 1946, Biddle married his childhood sweetheart, Leona Elsie Allen. The couple had two daughters, Elissa and Marsha.

After leaving the military, Biddle returned to Indiana and worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs. He helped distribute loans and benefits to veterans for 26 years until his retirement. He also served on the Anderson City Council.

Biddle rarely spoke of his Medal of Honor action. He gave occasional interviews and appeared at events honoring veterans but preferred to lead a more private life. He was an avid golfer and a member of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

Biddle died of congestive heart failure on December 16, 2010, at Saint John's Medical Center in Anderson following a sudden illness.

Aged 87 at his death, he was buried in Anderson's Memorial Park Cemetery on December 20. In deference to his family's beliefs as Jehovah's Witnesses, Biddle requested that his funeral be free of military observances. His death date was the 66th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Bulge, in which he earned the Medal of Honor, and he was Indiana's last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II.

Biddle's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy near Soy, Belgium, on 23 and 24 December 1944. Serving as lead scout during an attack to relieve the enemy-encircled town of Hotton, he aggressively penetrated a densely wooded area, advanced 400 yards until he came within range of intense enemy rifle fire, and within 20 yards of enemy positions killed 3 snipers with unerring marksmanship. Courageously continuing his advance an additional 200 yards, he discovered a hostile machine-gun position and dispatched its 2 occupants. He then located the approximate position of a well-concealed enemy machine-gun nest, and crawling forward threw hand grenades which killed two Germans and fatally wounded a third. After signaling his company to advance, he entered a determined line of enemy defense, coolly and deliberately shifted his position, and shot 3 more enemy soldiers. Undaunted by enemy fire, he crawled within 20 yards of a machine-gun nest, tossed his last hand grenade into the position, and after the explosion charged the emplacement firing his rifle. When night fell, he scouted enemy positions alone for several hours and returned with valuable information which enabled our attacking infantry and armor to knock out 2 enemy tanks. At daybreak he again led the advance and, when flanking elements were pinned down by enemy fire, without hesitation made his way toward a hostile machine-gun position and from a distance of 50 yards killed the crew and 2 supporting riflemen. The remainder of the enemy, finding themselves without automatic weapon support, fled panic stricken. Pfc. Biddle's intrepid courage and superb daring during his 20-hour action enabled his battalion to break the enemy grasp on Hotton with a minimum of casualties.

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission! 

 

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

Hi oldteen! I have some gifts for you! *hugs*

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

Happy Valentine's day! I got these for you!

[amom]

Thank you Kathy! What a wonderful cyber treat to wake up to. I had a wonderful weekend driving to Colorado Springs...left 6am Sat and arrived 10pm Sun. Now for my REAL treat...fingers crossed the schedule hasn’t changed...LOL.

Happy Valentines Day to you and yours and thanks for all you do. 8D

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

Happy Valentines! This is for you!

[tiapam]

[ConorMacNessa]

Happy Valentines Day, Tiapam!

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[tiapam]

DITTO, Conor! :)

[ConorMacNessa]

Good morning, Kathy!

*HUGS*

Happy Valentines Day!

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[Dubya]

Thank you :^) I hope the same for you.

[Dubya]

LOVE In Luke 6:31 Jesus teaches the Golden rule: "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

Evan H. Hopkins said, "While it is faith that makes all things possible, it is love that makes all things easy."

In the end, in every area of life, you are judged by how loving you were.

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:2

We must love each other and also love life itself. Try to actively love your life and it will love you right back. Love is appreciating to such a degree that you feel overwhelmed with joy.

If you love someone, let them know it. Never miss an opportunity to tell someone you love them.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7

Because God is love, unless we love, we do not follow God. This is true every day of the week.

1 John 4:8 "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Spiritually, love is not about getting, but giving.

Make it a rule and keep it every day... Never, if possible, go to bed at night without being able to say, "I have made one human being at least a little happier, a little better, because I was loving this day."

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good morning, E...((HUGS))...hope you have a nice weather Monday.

[Kathy in Alaska]

I sure do hear you on the liking to read without my glasses. I seem to be able to manage most things with 105%, but it is hopeless on my laptop.

Happy Valentine's Day.

[Dubya]

Valentine's Day Massacre

It arrives so fresh off the heels of Thanksgiving and Christmas, it's easy to overlook. You've just barely gotten used to writing the new year on your bank checks. For all practical purposes, it's simply the typical weekday between February 13 and February 15.

But this is not a day for practical purposes.

This is Valentine's Day. And Sam forgot it.

Sam's wife had a card addressed to him, hidden in her top dresser drawer. Her gift to him was under her dresses in the closet. She waited for him to make the first move, to end this little dodge of his. There he was, sitting down to watch television at 7:30 at night as if he might be camped out there till bedtime... as if he'd actually forgotten what day this is!

Finally, at 10 P.M., when Sam had stumbled upstairs to brush his teeth, he found his wife sitting bolt upright in bed. Somehow the temperature felt noticeably cooler in that room than in the other parts of the house.

"What's the matter? What'd I do?" He did a super-quick scan of his usual offenses. Everything checked out.

"Tomorrow morning," she said through clenched teeth, "I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from zero to two hundred in less than six seconds. And it had better be there!"

With that, she snatched her pillow and blanket and trudged off, presumably to the downstairs sofa, leaving Sam standing there looking very unmanly, totally exposed as a Valentine forgetter. But his pride wasn't about to be threatened so easily.

The next morning his wife found a gift box in the driveway. She tore it open and looked inside.

It was a bathroom scale.

Sam has been missing since Friday.

Pray that you both will be sensitive to one another's needs for romance and love on the other 364 days of the year.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good morning, Arrowhead...((HUGS))...it is -2 at my house.

Happy Valentine's Day to you!

[tiapam]

Thank you, too! :)

[Arrowhead1952]

Good morning, Kathy and (((HUGS))). It was 54 at my house at 6 AM.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you!

[oldteen]

Thank You, Deo

Have a Wonderful Day

[E.G.C.]

You bet and Happy Valentine’s Day to you too.

[blackie]

Thanks Kathy!

{{HUGS}}

[SevenofNine]

HEY Kathy did you hear I hear this on KTLA news this morning in Iran they ban both Deadliest Catch and Iced Road Truckers reason is Crazy Nut job don’t like blondes

Remember who is Blonde in Deadlist Catch Sig Hansen too blonde for Crazy Nut job

And who is blonde in Iced Road trucker i think because one of them is woman Lisa Kelly LOL!

SILLY Crazy nut job LOLOLOL!