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Posted on 01/15/2005 6:52:06 PM PST by snippy_about_it
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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 The Medal of Honor One of the many instances of supreme soldiering in the New Year’s Nordwind engagement is the action of Sergeant Charles MacGillivary. MacGillivary came to the United States when he was 16, from Prince Edward Island, Canada. He took up residence with his older brother in Boston. When Pearl Harbor was bombed, he volunteer for the army. As he told the United States Senate Subcommittee on Immigration 50 years later, when he was in boot camp in Massachusetts, "an officer asked me and two other immigrants ... whether we wanted to become U.S. citizens. [They took us] to a federal courthouse and [swore us] in before a judge. I thought that if I was going to fight for this country, I should be a U.S. citizen." On New years Day, Company I, 71st Regiment, was alerted and ordered to move one mile to be in a position in the event of an enemy breakthrough within the Regimental area. As the Company was proceeding along the road from Wolfling to Gros Rederching, MacGillivary, the squad leader in the second platoon, was given the mission of protecting the left flank. Sergeant MacGillivary, alone, closed in from the left flank and reported the enemy, grenadiers of the 17th Waffen SS Division, digging in.  A few minutes later the enemy opened fire with machine guns, halting the advance. Company K was given the mission to come around the right flank and knock out the opposition. Sgt MacGillivary knowing the position of the enemy, volunteered for a solo patrol and went around the left flank in the rear of one enemy machine gun. With his M1 rifle, at the distance of three feet, killed both the gunner and his assistant. Company I continue to its forward assembly area. By his own initiative and prompt action, after giving knowledge of enemy positions and their fire sectors, he prevented great loss of life to our troops. As Company I went into attack again, it came under heavy machine gun fire. Sergeant MacGillivary, again upon his own initiative, knowing the enemy positions, crawled alone towards the nests of six machine guns, which had halted the attacking force and destroyed three machine gun teams, killing all of them before he himself became seriously wounded by a fourth machine gun. The Sergeant lost one arm as a result of this action. For this extraordinary heroic action, with utter disregard for his own personal safety, his aggressiveness and self sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty, Sgt MacGillivary was awarded the nations highest honor, The Medal of Honor. in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to MacGlLLlVARY, CHARLES A.  Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company I, 71st Infantry, 44th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Woelfling, France, 1 January 1945. Entered service at: Boston, Mass. Birth: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. G.O. No.: 77, 10 September 1945. Citation: “He led a squad when his unit moved forward in darkness to meet the threat of a breakthrough by elements of the 17th German Panzer Grenadier Division. Assigned to protect the left flank, he discovered hostile troops digging in. As he reported this information, several German machineguns opened fire, stopping the American advance. Knowing the position of the enemy, Sgt. MacGillivary volunteered to knock out 1 of the guns while another company closed in from the right to assault the remaining strong points. He circled from the left through woods and snow, carefully worked his way to the emplacement and shot the 2 camouflaged gunners at a range of 3 feet as other enemy forces withdrew. Early in the afternoon of the same day, Sgt. MacGillivary was dispatched on reconnaissance and found that Company I was being opposed by about 6 machineguns reinforcing a company of fanatically fighting Germans. His unit began an attack but was pinned down by furious automatic and small arms fire. With a clear idea of where the enemy guns were placed, he voluntarily embarked on a lone combat patrol. Skillfully taking advantage of all available cover, he stalked the enemy, reached a hostile machinegun and blasted its crew with a grenade. He picked up a submachine gun from the battlefield and pressed on to within 10 yards of another machinegun, where the enemy crew discovered him and feverishly tried to swing their weapon into line to cut him down. He charged ahead, jumped into the midst of the Germans and killed them with several bursts. Without hesitation, he moved on to still another machinegun, creeping, crawling, and rushing from tree to tree, until close enough to toss a grenade into the emplacement and close with its defenders. He dispatched this crew also, but was himself seriously wounded. Through his indomitable fighting spirit, great initiative, and utter disregard for personal safety in the face of powerful enemy resistance, Sgt. MacGillivary destroyed four hostile machineguns and immeasurably helped his company to continue on its mission with minimum casualties.”      |
Howdy ma'am.
You helping Sam keep the Czeck book from overheating?
Hi miss Feather
LOL
LOL. He's keeping me from overspending!
Good afternoon Victoria.
Snippy! You changed your hair!
LOL. I was just signing on and giving Sam heck for not signing off my laptop.
Sorry about that. Now this is the real me. :-)
I'm so confused, SAM_about_it or snippyWolf, my head hurst.
Hi Sam. How's business going?
LOL. I'd be confused too. I've only seen you do that once with msdrby's sign on, Sam and I seem to do it alot!
Evening stand watie
Free Dixie!
Nice nose art on that B-25
Hi Victoria.
I didn't say that!!
My identity has been hi-jacked!!
As soon as we get back, we can get down to some serious work on getting advertising and getting ready for a grand opening.
Sounds great. Good luck.
Need a birdfeeder? We ship. ;-)
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