One of the greatest tributes President George W. Bush bestowed upon America was on March 3, 2008, when he with the American government after immense lobbying from the North and South Dakota Congressional and State Governor associations awarded the Medal of Honor to Master Sergeant Woody Keeble.
Woody Keeble began and ended life in the Sisseton Wahpeton bands of the Dakota Sioux. His Hero status came in the United States Army where he began warrior status in World War II in the island fighting against the Japanese.
Volunteers were often requested for dangerous missions and the unit started noticing that Woody Keeble always disappeared. Some thought he was a coward, until they started following him. It was then that they discovered that Wood Keeble was going out on his own on point against the enemy blazing a way for the coming volunteer units, all without being asked.
In the "truce days" of Korea, the Master Sergeant was once again sown into the Korean Peninsula when a green crop of troops and an unseasoned officer corp, all not wanting to be the last American killed in Korea, that Woody Keeble attained infamy.
During a 5 day period he was wounded 4 times. His second to last time found him coming in contact with a grenade, suffering a concussion and having over 80 fragments taken from his body.
His unit decided to let him sleep in at the aid station as they went out that morning to a mountain fortress the Chinese communists had been preparing like gophers for their winter campaign in having supplies, tunnels and hospital.
When Woody awoke he as furious at being left behind and immediately went to the mountain. The safest place was always to be with Woody Keeble as he was a master warrior and always took new recruits under his direction for several days to make them seasoned.
All Woody wanted was to get started and then he would climb the mountain alone. He soon found that 4 units, including his own were pinned down by the communist Chinese.
Assessing the situation, he started climbing with grenades and his BAR weapon of which he was expert with.
The units watched Keeble in action as this invisible giant moved on this mountain among the 3 communist machine gun bunkers.
Keeble came upon the first and using his infamous throwing arm, literally threw a grenade through the hole the machine gun was firing out of and destroyed it.
The units were watching this and began figuring out that Woody was on a mission of his own and was saving them.
Woody took his time and over the next hour assaulted the second communist position with his throwing arm and a grenade and destroyed that too.
By now the units were firing, throwing their own grenades and doing all they could to assist Woody on his final assault on the 3rd machine gun bunker.
Woody made his way to it, but was hit by a concussion grenade. He knew as he was on his hands and knees that if he passed out he was going to die there, so he held onto life as he made it behind a rock and tried to get his head to clear.
When he could move again, he pulled his grenade, but this time being injured he missed his mark. This American though would not be deterred and immediately took up the charge with his BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) and took out the 3rd machine gun bunker.
This is what President George W. Bush, Congress and the Dakota delegations posthumously awarded this American Hero the Medal of Honor for.
Woodrow W. Keeble was wounded 5 times and only received 2 Purple Hearts.
His years after the wars were not the most pleasant, in further complications and strokes impairing this Hero, but he never gave up and lived as a Hero.
On this Memorial Day period, I desired to share this Gentleman with readers as Americans in these times need to realize the fantastic people Americans are and there are indeed people to look up to.
Woody Keeble was born in the French Hills of the Prairies in the littlest of towns in Waubay, South Dakota. He served from North Dakota and is buried in Sisseton, South Dakota. Any American who is True to America can arise from any place in being a Hero.
This is an American to honor like all Veterans and to remember.
agtG
Woodrow Wilson Keeble
President Bush and America honoring Woody Keeble
