Skip to comments.
The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Sergeant Charles MacGillivary -Jan.16th, 2005
see educational sources
Posted on 01/15/2005 6:52:06 PM PST by snippy_about_it

Lord,
Keep our Troops forever in Your care
Give them victory over the enemy...
Grant them a safe and swift return...
Bless those who mourn the lost. .
FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time.
...................................................................................... ........................................... |
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues
Where Duty, Honor and Country are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
|
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.
To read previous Foxhole threads or to add the Foxhole to your sidebar, click on the books below.
|
|
|
|
|
Sergeant Charles MacGillivary

The Medal of Honor
One of the many instances of supreme soldiering in the New Years 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.
The President of the United States 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.
FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

  |
TOPICS: VetsCoR
KEYWORDS: army; freeperfoxhole; history; medalofhonor; samsdayoff; veterans; wwii
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80, 81-99 next last
To: SAMWolf
To: SAMWolf; snippy_about_it
Y'all got any of dem dere bird feeders gizmos that are imprevious to .177cal fire.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
62
posted on
01/16/2005 6:07:47 PM PST
by
alfa6
(Squirrel: a rat with a bushy tail)
To: alfa6
Gonna shoot the squirrels, but leave the feeder intact?
To: Victoria Delsoul
There aren't any birds in New york State?????
64
posted on
01/16/2005 6:19:39 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(An opinion is what you have when you don't have any facts.)
To: alfa6
Droll Yankees are guaranteed for life if you can make it look like a squirrel was the shooter. ;-)
65
posted on
01/16/2005 6:20:49 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(An opinion is what you have when you don't have any facts.)
To: Professional Engineer
I need a bullet proof feeder in case I would miss the squirrel. Or in case the squirrels learn how to shoot, see post 65.
BTW I finally got the ftp program on the new puter will be sending you some F-O-G pics later in the week.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
66
posted on
01/16/2005 6:28:05 PM PST
by
alfa6
(Squirrel: a rat with a bushy tail)
To: SAMWolf
To: Professional Engineer; SAMWolf
68
posted on
01/16/2005 6:33:46 PM PST
by
alfa6
(Squirrel: a rat with a bushy tail)
To: SAMWolf; Professional Engineer
RE #65, ya mean like this

Gotta get back to work see ya later
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
69
posted on
01/16/2005 6:37:05 PM PST
by
alfa6
(Squirrel: a rat with a bushy tail)
To: SAMWolf; Professional Engineer
RE #65, ya mean like this

Gotta get back to work see ya later
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
70
posted on
01/16/2005 6:37:07 PM PST
by
alfa6
(Squirrel: a rat with a bushy tail)
To: Victoria Delsoul

Where's my seed!!
71
posted on
01/16/2005 6:37:27 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(An opinion is what you have when you don't have any facts.)
To: alfa6
Dang Mouse button, sorry about that
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
72
posted on
01/16/2005 6:37:50 PM PST
by
alfa6
(Squirrel: a rat with a bushy tail)
To: alfa6
73
posted on
01/16/2005 6:38:21 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(An opinion is what you have when you don't have any facts.)
To: SAMWolf
To: alfa6
75
posted on
01/16/2005 6:42:26 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(An opinion is what you have when you don't have any facts.)
To: Victoria Delsoul
76
posted on
01/16/2005 6:43:11 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(An opinion is what you have when you don't have any facts.)
To: SAMWolf
To: Victoria Delsoul
78
posted on
01/16/2005 6:50:53 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(An opinion is what you have when you don't have any facts.)
To: SAMWolf
I'll let you know for sure.
To: snippy_about_it
The 44th Infantry Division
http://44thdivision.efour4ever.com/44honorsoverview.html
The 44th Infantry Division landed in France via Cherbourg, 15 September 1944, and trained for a month before entering combat, 18 October 1944, when it relieved the 79th Division in the vicinity of Foret de Parroy, east of Luneville, France, to take part in the Seventh Army drive to secure several passes in the Vosges Mountains. Within 6 days, the Division was hit by a heavy German counterattack, 25-26 October. The attack was repulsed and the 44th continued its active defense. On 13 November 1944, it jumped off in an attack northeast, forcing a passage through the Vosges Mountains east of Leintrey to Dossenheim, took Avricourt, 17 November, and pushed on to liberate Strasbourg, along with the 2d French Armored Division. After regrouping, the Division returned to the attack, taking Ratzwiller and entering the Ensemble de Bitche in the Maginot Line. Fort Simserhof fell 19 December.
Displacing to defensive positions east of Sarreguemines, 21-23 December, the 44th threw back three attempted crossings by the enemy of the Blies River. An aggressive defense of the Sarreguemines area was continued throughout February 1945 and most of March. Moving across the Rhine at Worms, 26 March, in the wake of the 3d Division, the 44th relieved the 3d, 26-27 March, and crossed the Neckar River to attack and capture Mannheim, 28-29 March. Shifting to the west bank of the Main, the Division crossed that river at Grosse Auheim in early April, and engaged in a 3-week training period. Attacking 18 April, after the 10th Armored Division, the 44th took Ehingen, 23 April, crossed the Danube, and attacking southeast to capture Ulm, took Fussen, Berg, and Wertach, in a drive on Imst. Pursuing the disintegrating enemy through Fern Pass and into Inn Valley, the 44th set up its CP at Imst, Austria, on 4 May. Landeck surrendered on the 5th. Meanwhile, the 19th German Army had surrendered at Innsbruck, and the war was over for the 44th. After a short period of occupation duty, the Division returned to the United States in July 1945 for retraining prior to redeployment, but the end of the Pacific war resulted in inactivation in November.
80
posted on
01/16/2005 7:25:57 PM PST
by
Valin
(Sometimes you're the bug, and sometimes you're the windshield)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80, 81-99 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson