FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Paul J Wiedorfer ~ 06 March 2023

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

Paul Wiedorfer

Info from here.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, raised in the 2400 block of McElderry Street, he attended St. Andrew's School, and graduated in 1940 from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. On November 11, 2008, a plaque honoring him was placed in Poly's Memorial Hall.

Married to his bride, Alice Stauffer, for just six months when Wiedorfer enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943, he was working as an apprentice power station operator at the Baltimore Gas & Electric Company in Baltimore, and was living in the 1900 block of Bank Street.

Wiedorfer received basic training at Camp Lee, Virginia. He was then assigned to the Quartermaster Corps, and then passed the examination for cadet air training. He was training to be a pilot, but the Army switched him to infantry because of greater need. On the way to England he crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the HMS Queen Mary, and by December 25, 1944, was serving as a private in Company G, 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division.

On that Christmas Day, near Chaumont, Belgium, Wiedorfer single-handedly charged across 40 yards of open ground, destroyed two German machine gun emplacements and took six Germans prisoner. He was subsequently promoted to staff sergeant and on May 29, 1945, issued the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle.

While crossing the Saar River, he was severely wounded February 10, 1945, by a mortar shell that blew up near him; shrapnel broke his left leg, ripped into his stomach, and seriously injured two fingers on his right hand. The soldier next to him died from his wounds and Paul credited that soldier for saving his life. Recent research has discovered the soldier's name to be PFC Milton C Smithers of Huntingdon, New Jersey. Paul was evacuated to the 137th United States Army General Hospital in England where he was placed in traction. While in the hospital a sergeant reading Stars and Stripes asked him how he spelled his name, and then told him he had received the Medal of Honor. Later, on May 29, 1945, Brigadier General Egmont F. Koenig with a band entered the ward to present him with his medal

Wiedorfer reached the rank of master sergeant before retiring from the Army. In addition to the Medal of Honor he was also awarded a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.

He returned to Baltimore on June 11, 1945, and was given a ticker tape parade with General George C. Marshall and Maryland governor Herbert O'Conor in attendance.

After the war he spent another three years recovering in different Army hospitals and then returned to Baltimore Gas & Electric, and retired in 1981 after 40 years of service. He and Alice had four children.

Wiedorfer died in Baltimore on May 25, 2011, at age 90. He was buried in Baltimore's Moreland Memorial Park Cemetery on June 7, 2011.

Wiedorfer's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

He alone made it possible for his company to advance until its objective was seized. Company G had cleared a wooded area of snipers, and 1 platoon was advancing across an open clearing toward another wood when it was met by heavy machinegun fire from 2 German positions dug in at the edge of the second wood. These positions were flanked by enemy riflemen. The platoon took cover behind a small ridge approximately 40 yards from the enemy position. There was no other available protection and the entire platoon was pinned down by the German fire. It was about noon and the day was clear, but the terrain extremely difficult due to a 3-inch snowfall the night before over ice-covered ground. Pvt. Wiedorfer, realizing that the platoon advance could not continue until the 2 enemy machinegun nests were destroyed, voluntarily charged alone across the slippery open ground with no protecting cover of any kind. Running in a crouched position, under a hail of enemy fire, he slipped and fell in the snow, but quickly rose and continued forward with the enemy concentrating automatic and small-arms fire on him as he advanced. Miraculously escaping injury, Pvt. Wiedorfer reached a point some 10 yards from the first machinegun emplacement and hurled a handgrenade into it. With his rifle he killed the remaining Germans, and, without hesitation, wheeled to the right and attacked the second emplacement. One of the enemy was wounded by his fire and the other 6 immediately surrendered. This heroic action by 1 man enabled the platoon to advance from behind its protecting ridge and continue successfully to reach its objective. A few minutes later, when both the platoon leader and the platoon sergeant were wounded, Pvt. Wiedorfer assumed command of the platoon, leading it forward with inspired energy until the mission was accomplished.

 

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! 

 

[The Mayor]

March 6

All Alone?

Bible in a Year:

• Deuteronomy 1–2
• Mark 10:1–31

God heard the boy crying.

Genesis 21:17

Sue’s family was falling apart before her eyes. Her husband had suddenly left the home, and she and her children were confused and angry. She asked him to go for marriage counseling with her, but he wouldn’t because he claimed the problems were hers. Panic and hopelessness set in when she realized he might never come back. Would she be able to care for herself and her children alone?

Hagar, a servant of Abraham and Sarah, faced those thoughts as well. Impatient for God to give them a son as promised (Genesis 12, 15), Sarah gave Hagar to her husband, and Hagar gave birth to Ishmael (16:1–4, 15). However, when God fulfilled His promise and Sarah gave birth to Isaac, family tensions erupted such that Abraham sent Hagar away with their son Ishmael with just some water and food (21:–21). Can you imagine her desperation? Soon they ran out of provisions in the desert. Not knowing what to do and not wanting to see her son die, Hagar put Ishmael under a bush and walked a distance away. They both began to sob. But “God heard the boy crying” (v. 17). He heard their cries, provided for their needs, and was with them.

Times of desperation when we feel all alone cause us to cry out to God. What a comfort to know that during those moments and throughout our lives, He hears us, provides for us, and stays near to us. Reflect & Pray

How has God provided for you when you’ve felt alone? How have you responded to Him?

I’m grateful, God, that I never really walk alone. Help me in my desperation.

Learn more about communicating with God.

[TigerHawk]

Only the G-Dless are alone...and not even they.

[PROCON]

Thanks for honoring tonight’s Hero, Kathy!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Mayor, and thank you for today’s sustenance for body and soul.

All rested and ready to take on the new week? I have multiple appointments to juggle this week.

[TigerHawk]

Good evening, Kathy, (or afternoon in your part of the world)

Thanks for recognizing that our military heroes are just ordinary folks, doing extraordinary things, because that’s what’s called for by their DUTY, and HONOR.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, TigerHawk...a true statement.

Melting still going on?

We are supposed to have a few days this week with slightly above freezing days, but low 20s nights. UGLY recipe for icy roads.

[radu]

Greetings to all at the Canteen!

To all our military men and women, past and present,

[Kathy in Alaska]

~ Hall of Heroes: Paul J Wiedorfer ~

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[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Pro...a worthy hero, indeed.

[TigerHawk]

Still a very good melt going on, but it’s March, anything can happen, and does. Here we don’t have a reliable, stable, weather pattern like you guys in AK have,...”Yeah, it’s still froze solid.”

G-D Bless You, I don’t know how you do it.

I couldn’t. I hate being cold! I can deal with it, but I hate it! One winter I was out hunting with a friend of mine, and I got so cold I went back to the parking spot and built a fire just to keep warm...OUT OF HIS PICKUP TRUCK! ;-)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, radu...hoping your high winds are finally gone, and that you can have a nice, quiet warm day to relax.

We’re playing with near or above freezing and beautiful sunshine. Nice, except it all freezes at night and makes ICE.

[radu]

Howdy, Kathy.

Always a pleasure to read about our heroes. They go all out when the need arises and don’t think about it. They just DO it.

Another sunny day up there, I see. Nice to see sunshine after so many gloomy days with snow.

I read that none of the local TV stations showed the beginning of Iditarod. Say WHAT??

[Kathy in Alaska]

Being cold is miserable!!!

[radu]

No wind today. It was a beautiful sunny, warm day. Tomorrow will be warm but pretty breezy, though nothing like Friday.

I well understand what you’re dealing with regarding temperatures this week. That’s typical here during winter and it stinks. If it’s wet at all, it’s going to turn icy overnight. If you have to go anywhere this week, I hope it’s late enough in the day that any ice has thawed.

[left that other site]

Hi Everybody!

(((HUGS)))

[Jet Jaguar]

Another BadAss. Thanks for his story.

((HUGS))

[mountainlion]

Moses nailed it: Deuteronomy 31:29 “For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.”

[TigerHawk]

I KNOW THAT!!!

Icy roads ain’t great either.

I have never found a place that was perfect, I’m sure that even Tahiti has its less than pleasant side, but some places are much less, less than perfect, than others. AK, due primarily to the climate, is more, less than perfect, than most (not counting almost every city in the world).

THANK G-D THERE’S JULY AND AUGUST! (If there are major suck factors, don’t tell me!)

Keep the Faith.

[ExTexasRedhead]

WWII - Victorious G.I.s Tour Hitler’s Eagles Nest At Berchesgaden 1945

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqngPSRz_44

Capturing Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest
Mark Felton Productions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ_16W-x2RI

There are some interesting comments at link above.

101ST AIRBORNE AT HITLER’S BERGHOF, BERCHTESGADEN, GERMANY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGxAqz__oFE

The men of Easy Company at Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest”, 1945

https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/easy-company-hitler-eagle-nest-1945/