“MILITARY.COM” By
Blake Stilwall
“Poolaw
would become the U.S. military’s most decorated veteran, serving in
World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. During his service,
he earned 42
medals and citations,
including four Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars and three Purple
Hearts,
one for each war in which he fought.”
________________________________________________________________
“Despite
the troubled history between native tribes and the U.S. government,
American Indians have served in every major American conflict in the
country’s history. They also enlist in the U.S. military at five
times the national average of
other demographics. It’s a good thing, too, because without native
warriors like Pascal Poolaw, American military
history might
look entirely different.
Poolaw
was born into the Kiowa Nation
in 1922, at a time when American Indians weren’t even considered
natural-born citizens of the United States. Indigenous people
wouldn’t have the right to natural-born citizenship until Congress
passed the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924. Poolaw’s military story
isn’t just about his country, however; it’s also about his
dedication to family.
He
first joined the Army in
1942, following his father and two brothers who were already fighting
in World War II. By 1944, he was fighting with the 4th Infantry
Division in Europe. While assaulting the Siegfried Line in Belgium,
then-Staff Sgt. Poolaw noticed a strong German counterattack
threatening his machine gun squad.
Pushing
his men forward, he began tossing grenades at the advancing enemy
while under heavy returning fire. The effort dispersed the Germans
and saved his unit. After repelling the German assault, his company
continued its attack on the Siegfried Line. He was awarded his first
Silver Star for making a stand against a concentrated enemy
formation. Poolaw was also wounded in the effort, receiving his first
Purple Heart.
When
the Korean War broke out in 1950, Poolaw was still in the Army and
was sent to Korea with Army’s 25th Infantry Division. The 25th
Infantry Division was one of the units that cut off the approaches to
the port city of Pusan early in the war, preventing the communists
from pushing United Nations forces into the sea and capturing Korea.
After
the Incheon Landing put 40,000 U.S. and allied troops behind the
communist lines in September 1950, the 25th broke out of what was
then known as the Pusan Perimeter. Poolaw was there. Although the
bulk of the enemy forces fell apart in disarray from the UN’s
one-two punch, there were elements of stiff resistance. Poolaw was
with a company of men against that kind of resistance.
On
Sept. 19, 1950, Sgt. 1st Class Poolaw of Company C, 1st Battalion,
27th Infantry Regiment volunteered to lead a squad against a
numerically superior force dug in at the top of a hill. His squad
surprised the enemy’s perimeter, fighting a brutal hand-to-hand
engagement while the rest of C Company followed and captured the
position. Poolaw was awarded another Silver Star, but he was far from
finished in Korea.
By
April 1951, fighting was centered on or near the 38th Parallel, where
the war had ground into a bloody stalemate. At Chongong-ni,
then-Master Sgt. Poolaw’s platoon was pinned down by automatic
weapons fire, mortars and whatever else the communists could throw at
them.
To
relieve the pressure on his men, Poolaw advanced under this
onslaught, firing his rifle in the open terrain. Poolaw distracted
the enemy, drawing all their fire on himself. As he moved, his
platoon maneuvered to a better vantage point and returned fire on the
enemy position, and he was awarded a third Silver Star.
His
courage under fire in Korea earned him a battlefield promotion to
second lieutenant and later a promotion to first lieutenant. He
returned to the United States shortly after, where his four sons, all
of whom would serve in the military, were growing up fast. In 1962,
Poolaw retired from the Army after 20 years of service and four years
in combat.
But
Poolaw wasn’t away from the Army for long. The United States was
soon involved in another war, this time in Vietnam. His sons were old
enough to serve and three of them would fight in Vietnam. In 1967,
Pascal Poolaw Jr. lost his right leg to a land mine there. Shortly
after, his son Lindy received a draft notice and would soon be on his
way to Vietnam. The elder Poolaw decided to reenlist and serve one
more time.
To
ensure he would see action in Vietnam, Poolaw resigned his
commission, became a non-commissioned officer once more and
volunteered to serve in combat, all in an effort to keep Lindy out of
the war zones. He missed deploying with his son by
one day.
Deploying
to Vietnam with the 26th Infantry Regiment in May 1967, he was named
first sergeant of his company. A few months later, he was on a search
and destroy mission as part of Operation Shenandoah II in Loc Ninh.
It was an attempt to secure South Vietnam’s Highway 13 as it was
being repaired for use by American and South Vietnamese forces.
The
company was moving through a rubber plantation as it was ambushed by
the Viet Cong. The ambush began with accurate sniper fire, but the
unit was soon engulfed by claymore mines, rockets, small arms and
automatic weapons. Outnumbered and outgunned, Poolaw tried to
organize the lead squad to establish a base of fire and move wounded
troops.
Already
wounded in the initial ambush, Poolaw was hit by incoming Viet Cong
fire as he attempted to pull one of his wounded soldiers to safety.
He succumbed to the wound that day, Nov. 7, 1967, at the age of 45.
He posthumously received his fourth Silver Star and third Purple
Heart.
Irene
Poolaw, his wife of 37 years, said in his eulogy: “He has followed
the trail of the great chiefs. His people hold him in honor and
highest esteem. He has given his life for the people and the country
he loved so much.”
https://www.military.com/history/americas-most-decorated-native-american-veteran-was-wounded-three-wars.html?utm_campaign=dfn-ebb&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sailthru&SToverlay=2002c2d9-c344-4bbb-8610-e5794efcfa7d
— Blake
Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com.
He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on
Facebook.
