CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT
THOMAS E. McCALL
FUTURE RELEASE FROM THE WAR DEPARTMENT
To Staff Sergeant Thomas E. McCall, 29-year-old Infantryman, of Veedersburg, Indiana, now believed to be a prisoner of war in Europe, a grateful Nation has awarded its highest tribute to courage, the Medal of Honor, the War Department announced today.
COMBAT ACTION TAKEN BY STAFF SERGEANT THOMAS E. McCALL
Sergeant McCall was last seen with his machinegun blazing at his hip as he charged a strongly entrenched German machinegun position in the crossing of the Rapido River, in Italy, on January 22, 1944. In this manner he had eliminated two other German machinegun nests after all members of the two machinegun crews he commanded had been killed or wounded by shell fragments.
The section of machineguns led by Sergeant McCall was supporting riflemen of the 36th Infantry Division in the assault across the river when the Germans opened up with an intense artillery barrage and patterned the entire river area with machinegun crossfire. Despite this, Sergeant McCall led his section in an advance of 600 yards into enemy territory.
His platoon leader, First Lieutenant Bernard J. Zebrowski, of 927 East 180th Street, Bronx, New York, (then second lieutenant), reported:
“All positions of cover were being heavily shelled with artillery and mortars by the enemy and rifle and automatic weapons fire swept the bridge over which Sergeant McCall led his section in the attack.
After he set up his machineguns and engaged the enemy, shell fire knocked out both his guns. Alone, he moved against the enemy after all the men in the section had been killed or wounded by the shell fire. He carried a machinegun at his hip and ran to within 30 yards of the nearest enemy position. There he fired into the position and killed or wounded the German crew and silenced their gun. He kept moving ahead, firing as he advanced.”
Second Lieutenant Elmer Ward, leader of a rifle platoon, whose home is in Ivanhoe, Texas, led the Infantryman of his unit behind the covering fire of Sergeant McCall.
“After we had crossed the bridge under terrific fire, my platoon was pinned down by the enemy machineguns,” he said. “Leaving my platoon, I went forward to check our machinegun support. Sergeant McCall had led his section through barbed wire entanglements and placed his guns in position. One gun had been struck by shell fire and the gunner was wounded and another gunner was killed. Sergeant McCall was giving first aid to the wounded gunner.
At that time another shell knocked out the other machinegun with a direct hit. He said the enemy nests were 40 yards ahead and that he would try to knock them out. He picked up a machinegun, slung the belt of ammunition across his shoulders, and advanced on the first position. As he knocked it out, another machinegun opened fire on him from a distance of 30 yards to his left. He charged this position, killing two enemy and forcing two others to flee. He fired again and killed them.
A third enemy machinegun opened fire on him from 50 yards to the rear of this position. When I last saw him, he was in the attack, advancing on the position and firing the machinegun from his hip.”
First Lieutenant John K. Lindstron, of Company F, 143rd Infantry Regiment, told how Sergeant McCall set his machineguns into position in a hail of fire.
“The company commander was wounded in the advance and the company was afforded time to reorganize on the enemy-held bank of the river through Sergeant McCall’s action. I saw him set up his machineguns directly in front of the enemy but the raking shell fire quickly wounded or killed the members of his two squads. I saw him with the wounded gunner. He gave the gunner water until he died. Then he picked up the machinegun and went into the attack alone.”
STAFF SERGEANT McCALL’S BACKGROUND
Sergeant McCall’s parents live on a farm just outside Veedersburg, Indiana. Before he entered the Army in June, 1938, he worked on farms in Indiana. He is a veteran of the fighting of the 36th Infantry Division, having been awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge for exemplary conduct in action against the enemy in Italy in September of 1943. Shortly afterwards he was awarded the Purple Heart for a shell splinter wound.
He was first cited for heroism under fire during an attack on December 15, 1943, for which he was awarded the Silver Star. In this action he again moved alone against the enemy to set up machinegun positions supporting the assault of the 36th Infantry Division on a main line of resistance established by the Germans. Finding the position in which his guns were to be placed infested with enemy he obtained a Browning automatic rifle, charged the position and cleared the area for his weapons. He was wounded in this attack, but remained with his machinegun section, distributing ammunition, directing fire and keeping the guns in operation.
OFFICIAL CITATION FOR AWARD OF MEDAL OF HONOR
“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On January 22, 1944, Company F had the mission of crossing the Rapido River in the vicinity of San Angelo, Italy, and attacking the well prepared German positions to the west. For the defense of those positions the enemy had prepared a network of machinegun positions covering the terrain to the front with a pattern of withering machinegun fire, and mortar and artillery positions zeroed in on the defilade arena.
Sergeant McCall commanded a machinegun section that was to provide added fire support for the riflemen. Under cover of darkness, Company F advanced to the river crossing site and under intense enemy mortar, artillery and machine gun fire crossed an ice-covered bridge which was continually the target for enemy fire. Many casualties occurred on reaching the west side of the river and reorganization was imperative.
Exposing himself to the deadly enemy machinegun and small arms fire that swept over the flat terrain Sergeant McCall, with unusual calmness, encouraged and welded his men into an effective fighting unit. He then led them forward across the muddy exposed terrain. Skillfully he guided his men through a barbed wire entanglement to reach a road where he personally placed the weapons of his two squads into positions of vantage, covering the battalion’s front. A shell landed near one of the positions, wounding the gunner, killing the assistant gunner, and destroying the weapon. Even though enemy shells were falling dangerously near, Sergeant McCall crawled across the treacherous terrain and rendered first aid to the wounded man, dragging him into a position of cover with the help of another man.
The gunners of the second machinegun had been wounded from the fragments of an enemy shell, leaving Sergeant McCall the only remaining member of his machinegun section.
Displaying outstanding aggressiveness he ran forward with the weapon on his hip reaching a point 30 yards from the enemy, where he fired two bursts of fire into the nest killing or wounding all of the crew and putting the gun out of action. A second machinegun now opened fire upon him and he rushed its position, firing his weapon from the hip, killing four of the gun crew. A third machinegun, 50 yards in rear of the first two, was delivering a tremendous volume of fire upon our troops. Sergeant McCall spotted its position and valiantly went toward it in the face of overwhelming enemy fire. He was last seen courageously moving forward on the enemy position, firing his machine gun from his hip. Sergeant McCall’s intrepidity and unhesitating willingness to sacrifice his life exemplify the highest traditions of the Armed Forces.” (1)
HIGHEST U. S. MEDAL GIVEN AS HONOR TO HOOSIER SERGEANT
Staff Sergeant Thomas E. McCall, 28, Attica farmer who is now a prisoner of war in Germany and doesn’t know he has become one of his nation’s top heroes, received the Congressional Medal of Honor at a retreat parade at Ft. Benjamin Harrison Thursday afternoon.
In full military ceremony before assembled troops, Colonel Henry E. Tisdale, commanding officer at Fort Harrison, placed the engraved Medal of Honor, suspended from a star-studded blue ribbon, about the neck of the infantryman’s father, Richard D. McCall. Mr. McCall also received for his son the citation personally signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, probably one of the last to bear his signature, and a certificate signed by Henry L. Stimson, secretary of war.
The citation was read by Captain F. J. Luchowski, adjutant. It was for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. The event occurred January 22, 1944 when his company had the mission of crossing the Rapido River in the vicinity of San Angelo, Italy, and attacking the well-prepared German positions to the west.
Word later was received that Sergeant McCall had been taken prisoner and is now in Germany.
He was a member of the national guard and went to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, when his outfit was activated in January, 1941. He already holds the Silver Star for heroism and the Purple Heart for a wound. He is the youngest of eight children and has two brothers in the service, Sergeant Shelby McCall in the hospital in Mississippi, and Private Dewey McCall, in the 102nd Infantry in Germany. Other brothers and sisters are Hubert McCall at home on the farm near Attica; Mrs. Mary Coker, Mt. Carmel, Illinois; Mrs. Ella Lofton, Princeton; Russel McCall, Lafayette, and Mrs. Frances Stephens, of R.R. 14, Indianapolis. Mrs. Stephens and her husband, W. T. Stephens, and son Jimmie, and the Sergeant’s mother, Mrs. Richard McCall, of Attica, were present for the ceremony.
Following the award, the Fort Harrison troops, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Louis W. Eggers, marched in review. (2)
WAR HERO RETURNS TO ARMY SERVICE
Miami, Florida, August 1---AP—
Staff Sergeant Thomas E. McCall, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard McCall, of near Attica, Indiana, arrived here for re-assignment after spending a 60-day furlough with his family and friends. Sergeant McCall was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for extraordinary bravery after crossing the ice-covered Rapido River near San Angelo, Italy, January 22, 1944. He was a German prisoner of war for 16 months.
He risked his life to crawl out over an exposed stretch of ground to give first aid to the wounded after his two machine gun crews had been knocked out by German mortar and artillery fire. He then evacuated them and went back into action. With an air-cooled, 30-caliber machine gun firing from the hip, he wiped out three German machine gun nests before being wounded and captured. (3)
SEEKS JAPS AFTER “DEATH”
Posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, Staff Sergeant Thomas E. McCall, 29 years old, Attica, Indiana, is back in the United States ---alive and ready to “take a crack at the Japs.” He is shown at Miami, Florida, with an air-cooled machine gun, similar to the one with which he stormed and destroyed three German machine-gun nests. McCall won the Medal of Honor for this feat and now refuses a discharge until the war’s over. He was wounded in Italy and captured . Thinking him dead, the War Department posthumously awarded the medal to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Richard McCall, who live on a farm near Attica. (4)
THOMAS McCALL BIRTH AT BURRTON, KANSAS
Thomas McCall was born May 9, 1916 at Burrton, Kansas according to his World War II draft card. The card has Burrton spelled Burton.
On page 1 of the Burrton Graphic August 31, 1916, Richard McCall has an add listing grain, hogs and some implements for sale at the G.W. Benthusen farm. G.W. Benthusen was a veterinary surgeon located in Burrton, Kansas.
According to Reno County, Kansas plat maps of 1912 and 1916, G. W. Benthusen owned the NW quarter of Section 13, Township 24 South, Range 4 West. The maps refer to it as the Midland Stock Farm and also show there was a school building on the quarter which would be Reno County School District #135 and was named Midland.
Three weeks after the first add, another add was in the September 21, 1916 edition of the Burrton Graphic. Richard McCall had an add on page 5, stating he has decided to quit farming in Kansas and will sell numerous livestock, farm implements and other articles.
The add states the auction is 6 miles south of Burrton at the G. W. Benthusen farm which is the Midland Stock Farm. From the northeast corner of Burrton this farm is 4 miles south of Highway 50 and 3 miles west of the Burmac Road on the southeast corner of the intersection. The west half of this quarter is currently owned by Burrton residents Kenton and Dixie Fisher. Not sure when Richard McCall moved from Kansas.
According to the 1920 United States census, the Richard McCall family, eight members, is living in Ripley, Montgomery County, Indiana. Thomas Edward McCall is the youngest and is listed as 4 years of age and was born in Kansas.
ARMY HERO DIES TRYING TO SAVE SON
An Army master sergeant drowned while trying to get his son safely to the Susquehanna River shore. Thomas E. McCall, 49, who held the Medal of Honor, drowned Saturday during a fishing trip.
A siren at Conowingo Dam had sounded to warn fishermen to go ashore because water was about to be released. McCall, however, had trouble freeing a stuck anchor. So he and his son, Thomas Jr., 8, struck out for shore. Onlookers were able to reach the youngster, but McCall became exhausted and went under.
Army officials said McCall won the nation’s highest military award in 1944. They said McCall, armed with a submachine gun , wiped out three German gun emplacements, though severely wounded, in a night attack at San Angelo, Italy. They said he was the only survivor of two American squads.
He was taken prisoner and the medal was awarded posthumously to his parents. They learned he was alive after the war. McCall was wounded again in 1951 in Korea. He also held the Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster, the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, and the combat infantryman’s badge.
A native of Lafayette, Indiana, McCall was a senior Army adviser to the District of Columbia National Guard. In addition to his son, he is survived by his widow, Maxine, three brothers and three sisters. (8)
HERO WHO BEAT DEATH IS HONORED AT GRAVE
Lafayette, Indiana --- A grave in chilly Spring Vale Cemetery yesterday claimed a Hoosier who cheated death in combat in 1944 and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously because it was thought he was dead.
A stiffly erect military firing squad fired a 21-gun salute over the flag-draped coffin that bore the body of Master Sergeant Thomas E. McCall, 49, into the grave, ending the unusual story of a Hoosier by adoption who was born at Burton, Kansas, but grew up at Attica in Fountain County.
The burial, with full military honors, came one week to the day after McCall drowned in the Susquehanna River near Connewingo Dam, Maryland, while on a fishing trip with his young son. Befitting a Medal of Honor winner, McCall died attempting to rescue his 8-year-old son, Thomas McCall Junior, who was later rescued by witnesses to the accident.
In his sermon delivered at the Soller-Baker Funeral Home, the Protestant chaplain of Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Major E. H. Ammerman, called McCall “one of our nation’s greatest heroes” and “one of the most highly decorated men ever to wear the uniform of this country.” McCall was decorated 18 times, including the Silver and Bronze Stars, three Purple Hearts and the Medal of Honor. The chaplain told McCall’s young son, seated beside his mother in the first row of mourners, your father “put his country above all and served in a way few could even if they had the chance … don’t expect to meet all your father’s accomplishments. But, what a challenge it must be to a young man.”
White-gloved sergeant-pall bearers bore the casket from the hearse to a platform atop the grave while the 74th Army Band from Fort Harrison, directed by Warrant Officer Cola A. Martin, played “Faith of Our Father’s Living Still.” McCall had distinguished himself in a battle on January 22, 1944, near San Angelo, Italy, as a man who at a given moment, was prepared to lay down his life for others.
On that day, then Staff Sergeant McCall, a dark, wavy-haired young soldier with deep-set penetrating eyes and a square-set chin, led his machine gun squad in an infantry attack across the Rapido River, near the village of San Angelo. His two-gun machine gun section was attached to Company F, 143rd Infantry, 36th Infantry Division. McCall’s squad was to provide cover for attacking riflemen. When both machine guns were knocked out, McCall put a machine gun on his hip and raced forward to kill six Germans and wipe out two machine gun nests. The citation reads he was last seen running toward a third German emplacement.
He was wounded and captured in the engagement and spent 10 months in a prisoner-of-war camp. The War Department thought him dead and the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Richard McCall, who lived on a farm near Attica until their deaths. McCall survived, and by mid-1945 he was back in the United States saying he was ready “to take a crack at the Japs.” But the war with Japan ended shortly thereafter with the dropping of the atom bomb, and McCall left the Army.
In 1946, he married the former Maxine Jefferies of Lafayette. Thereafter, Lafayette was his civilian home. In the years that followed he would serve in the Air Force police and in 1951 he would re-enter the Army as a Master Sergeant. As a wounded veteran, McCall technically did not meet the physical requirements of the Army, but they were waived. (9)
For more information visit cmohs.org/recipients/thomas-e-mccall
(1) WAR DEPARTMENT, Bureau of Public Relations, PRESS BRANCH
(2) Indianapolis News, Friday, April 27, 1945, pages 1 & 16
(3) Lafayette Journal & Courier, Wednesday evening, August 1, 1945, page 3
(4) Indianapolis Star, Thursday Morning, August 2, 1945, page 1
(5) U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 – AncestryLibrary.com
(6) Burrton Graphic, August 31, 1916, page 1
(7) Burrton Graphic, September 21, 1916, page 5
(8) San Angelo Standard Times (San Angelo, Texas), Tuesday, September 21, 1965, page 3
(9) Indianapolis News, Saturday, September 25, 1965, page 3
(10) https://www.vhv.rs/viewpic/TRioTJb_congressional-medal-of-honor-png-download-us-army/