The Patriot News The Newsletter of the Maine Military Historical Society Volume 2, Issue 3 www.mainemilmuseum.org January - March 2012 Maine Military Historical Society 33 State House Station Camp Keyes Augusta, Maine 04333-0033 Officers Chairman: MSG David B. Googins (Ret) Secretary: Treasurer: Mrs. Soraya Umphrey Board of Directors BG Albert White Jr. (Ret) COL Donovan Lajoie (Ret) Mr. Gary Burns LTC Peter Ogden (Ret) LTC Dwaine Drummond MSG Daniel Masessa CPO David Potter (Ret) Mrs. Louise Dorr Historical Advisor Dr. Thomas Desjardins Presidents Emeriti MG Donald H. Marden (Ret) BG Richard Tuttle (Ret) COL Donovan Lajoie (Ret) Newsletter: MSG David Googins (Ret) and Curator: CW5 Ronald Roussel (Ret) Inside This Issue 1 A Word From the President 2 Membership Renewal A Word From The Chairman Dear MMHS Members: I hope Santa was good to everyone, and I hope you have a very Happy New Year! For those who took the time to attend our Annual Meeting this past October, Thank You. It was a pleasure to get so many great suggestions and positive feedback. This is the time of year where we begin to focus on the upcoming year, implementing plans and programs. There is one significant issue that will affect us all and we need to act. Our future will change dramatically within the next five to six years. The museum will need to move out of its present location, not because of space issues but because the building will no longer be available for our use. This is due to reorganizations taking place at Camp Keyes. How we rise to this challenge will determine whether the Society & Museum will continue to exist as an organization. We have a duty to continue to preserve Maine s proud military history, which spans centuries, and to tell the many stories of Maine s brave servicemen and women and that of their families. We can not let that mission falter. The Board of Directors and the Facilities and Displays Committee, are just beginning the process of exploring options and courses of action. In order to prepare for the inevitability of our move, we need to earnestly begin fundraising over the course of the next several years, to grow our membership, and to increase corporate sponsorship. We desperately need you, our members, to rally around this cause and help. Volunteer by serving on one of our committees or get involved with fundraising. Ask how you can help. It s a critical time in our organization. 2 3 3 3 Did You Know.. New Members Calendar of Events Dates in Military History Dave 4 4 5 Membership Survey A Birthday Surprise Courageous Bridgton Soldier Gave his Life to Save Fellow Soldiers Newsletter 1
Membership Membership renewal reminders went out with the newsletter in Oct and most recently in Dec. If you have not had a chance to renew your membership, please do so. For convenience sake you may renew online through our website or, if you prefer, by check through the U.S. Mail. surrounding the controversy of the awarding of the medal early on and how the law changed to protect America s most revered military decoration. The book, originally published in 1966, has been out of print for a long time however I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Civil War and/or the Medal of Honor. For those who are Lifetime Members, we really need your continued support. There are many members who are Lifetime Members, which equates to no revenue coming in. We would like to ask each Lifetime Member to consider making a donation, either a lump sum or donating each month in what ever denomination is comfortable. We need everyone s support! Did you Know.. By Dan Masessa During the Civil War, the 27 th Maine was awarded 864 Medals of Honor, one for every member of the regiment. Army Medal of Honor, first design, 1862 What brave actions did the soldiers of the regiment perform to deserve such an award? They volunteered to remain in service after the term of service of the regiment had expired! As crazy as it sounds, they actually earned the Medal of Honor as the law was written at the time. The story of the 27 th Maine and the Medal of Honor is captured in the book Shower of Stars by Maine author John J. Pullen. While researching his book about the 20 th Maine, John Pullen came across information indicating the 27 th Maine, a group of nine month volunteers from York County, was issued a Medal of Honor for every member of the regiment. Seeing how the famous 20 th Maine earned four Medals of Honor at Little Round Top, how could it be that the 27 th earned over eight hundred medals and then fell into obscurity, unknown to history? Shower of Stars is not only an excellent story of the 27 th Maine but also a great history of the Medal of Honor. John Pullen uncovered tons of information Newsletter 2
W E L C O M E N E W MEMBERS THE MMHS WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME: JANUARY Dates in Military History 1781 American forces under BG Daniel Morgan defeated the British at Cowpens, SC. 1782 British Troops withdraw from Wilmington, SC. 1815 MG Andrew Jackson defeated British Troops at the Battle of New Orleans. 1862 The first union Ironclad warship, the USS Monitor was launched in New York City. 1943 The last Japanese troops were forced of the island of Guadalcanal by US troops. 1966 US plans resumed bombing of North Vietnamese targets after a 37 day pause. 1968 Beginning of the Tet Offensive by the Viet Cong in South Vietnam. FEBRUARY C A L E N D A R O F E V E N T S 1676 Indians led by Wamponoag Indian Chief King Philip attacked a settlement at Lancaster, MA during King Philip s War. 1704 Abenaki Indians attacked the frontier settlement at Deerfield, MA, BOARD MEETINGS - 2012 PLACE: MMHS MUSEUM TIME: 4:00 PM, 10 JAN, 14 MAR, 9 MAY, 12 JUN, 12 SEP, 10, OCT, 14 NOV VOLUNTEER DAY 2011-2012 PLACE: MMHS MUSEUM TIME: 4:00 PM, EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY. SEE CALENDAR OF EVENTS AT WWW.MAINEMILMUSEUM.ORG FOR MORE INFO AND TO SIGN UP. 2012 HERITAGE TOUR PLACE: TBD TIME: OCTOBER TBD ANNUAL MEETING/BANQUET - 2012 PLACE: TBD TIME: OCTOBER TBD Know of a special event? Please let us know so that we can inform our membership. massacring more than 50 people. 1836 Mexican General Santa Anna began his siege of the Alamo with approximately 3,000 troops. 187 defenders held out until March 6, when surviving defenders were massacred. 1898 The Battleship Maine is sunk in Havana Harbor, Cuba. 1942 A Japanese Submarine surfaced off the coast of Ellwood, California, shelling the coastline. Little damage was done. 1943 Women s Marine Corps Auxiliary established. 1945 U.S. Marines begin the invasion of Iwo Jima. MARCH 1770 The Boston Massacre took place, the British killing 3 men and mortally wounding 2 others. 1802 Congress established the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY. 1814 U.S. Troops under General Andrew Jackson defeated Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, AL, ending the Creek War. 1942 The first American Seabees saw action in New Caledonia. 1960 First Women Paratrooper 1965 First U.S. ground combat force, the 3500 man 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, arrived at Danang, South Vietnam. Newsletter 3
Online Membership Survey On our website, we have posted an online survey for our members to take. As mentioned in Words from the Chairman, this will help us in getting this year s activities put together based on our members input. There will also be space provided for any additional comments on how we may serve you better, ideas you may have for the museum, or whatever you would like to comment on.. That s right! The MMHS is now on Facebook! Stop by and Like us! We look forward to hearing from you. Birthday Surprise In October the family of a World War II veteran, surprised him with a visit to Camp Keyes to celebrate his 90th birthday. Harry Grimm was a medium tank driver and had the urge for a number of years, to see a newer tank. So the family had made arrangements for him to visit the tank parked out side of Camp Keyes, which he nimbly climbed aboard. He was also presented with an award, by State CSM Terry Harris and SGM Shawn Thibodeau. Later he was provided a tour of our museum by Ron Roussel. Harry Grimm enlisted in the U.S. Army on June 1, 1942, and was honorably discharged on Nov 1, 1945. He was a tank driver in the 7th Armored Division, serving in the Battle of the Bulge and all over Europe. While his unit was capturing a town in France, he ran into an enemy convoy. After destroying the convoy and going through some of the enemy vehicles that remained, a cache of weapons was discovered in the back of a truck and were liberated by our troops. A couple of weeks after his birthday celebration, Harry Grimm came into the museum with the Walther PPK pistol he liberated that day and donated it to the museum. Thank You, Mr. Grimm. Admin Note Please be sure to keep us up to date. Send in any changes to your address or email address. It s important that we keep our records as current as possible. Please drop an email to Tammy Googins at Tammy@publicoversecurity.com, or contact us at www.manemilmuseum.org. Newsletter 4
Courageous Bridgton Soldier Gave his Life to Save Fellow Soldiers From Discover Maine, Volume 7, Issue 10 By James Nalley On June 25th, 1950, after the North Koreans attacked South Korea, elements of the U.S. Army s 24th Infantry Division were the first to arrive. Known as Task Force Smith, it consisted of the 1st Battalion, an infantry regiment, anti-tank teams, and members of Charlie and Delta Companies. According to the U.S. Army, the orders were simple: When reaching Taejon, move north stop them where you find them. Included in this task force was a sergeant who had already survived combat in World War II, but felt honored to re-enlist for Korea. Within a month, his heroic actions would resemble something out of a movie and would also make him the first Congressional Medal of Honor recipient during the Korean War. George D. Libby was born on December 4, 1919 in Bridgton. After honorable service during World War II, he re-entered the army in Waterbury, Connecticut, as a member of Charlie Company in the 3rd Engineering Combat Battalion of the 24th Infantry Division. For the first 18 months of the war, the division was heavily engaged on the front lines against both North Korean and Chinese forces. By the wars end, its casualties exceeded 10,000. helped the wounded aboard. As they pulled away, the enemy directed small-arms fire at the driver. At that point, Libby (realizing that no one else could operate the vehicle), used his body as a shield to protect the driver. During this action he received several bullet wounds in his arms and torso. As the tractor continued through the town, it made frequent stops as Libby helped more wounded aboard. Finally at the last roadblock, he continued to shield the driver with his wounded body, as it received more bullet wounds. Refusing first aid, he held that position until he lost consciousness and died. According to the U.S. Army s citation, SGT Libby s sustained, heroic actions enabled his comrades to reach friendly lines. His dauntless courage and gallant self-sacrifice reflect the highest credit upon himself and uphold the esteemed traditions of the U.S. Army. His body was returned to the United States and buried in Section 34, Lot 1317, at Arlington National Cemetery. Today several monuments in his name are located in the United States, such as an elementary school in California and a monument in Waterbury, Connecticut. But perhaps it is the 1000-foot Libby Bridge over the Imjin River in Korea that is the most poetic. The bridge forms a connection between the village of Chang-Pa-ri (in the south), the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and North Korea. One of the early battles in the Korean War was the Battle of Taejon (a major city and transportation center) that occurred form July 14-21, 1950. Army forces attempted to defend the headquarters of the 24th Infantry Division which were under attack by North Korean forces. The 24th Infantry, already exhausted from the previous two weeks of fighting, tried to make a final stand near Taejon by holding a line along the Kum River, east of the city. Hampered by a lack of communications and heavy weapons, the American forces were outnumbered and pushed back from the river bank. Although they could not hold the city, the 24th Infantry Division achieved a strategic victory by delaying the North Koreans, thus providing time for other American divisions to establish a defensive perimeter around Pusan further south. SGT George D. Libby On July 20, 1950 Sergeant Libby was riding in a truck in the Pusan Perimeter. As his vehicle approached an enemy roadblock it encountered tremendous enemy fire, which disabled the truck and killed or wounded each of the passengers except for Libby. After exiting the truck, he took cover in a ditch. As the enemy continued to fire its weapons at the truck and road, he crossed the same road twice to administer first aid to his wounded fellow soldiers. Afterwards, he hailed a passing M-5 artillery tractor and one by one, Foot Note: The Libby NCO Academy at the U.S. Army Engineer School, Ft Leonard Wood in Missouri is named for SGT Libby. Newsletter 5
P L E A S E V I S I T O U R P R E F E R R E D V E N D O R S As we get corporate sponsors, we will list these as preferred places to shop. We need Your Input! Letter From the Editor We would like to ask all members for their personal stories, histories, pictures or events that they would like to have published within these pages. Maybe you have a funny story about Annual Training or a story about deployment or you would like to tell someone else s story. Articles should be no more than 300 words. Any photos submitted should be JPG or BMP. Please submit any articles or comments to: Dave.Googins@mainemilmuseum.org PRESORTED US POSTAGE PAID AUGUSTA, ME PERMIT #114 33 State House Station Camp Keyes Augusta, ME 04333-0033 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED Newsletter 6