Will Croft Barnes Between
1873 and 1883, the Signal Corps constructed some eight thousand
miles of pole line connecting 77 frontier telegraph and weather
offices. Located at Army posts in the American west, these stations
were interconnected by military and commercial lines to
Washington, DC. One such 29 station line, connected isolated posts such as
Fort Bliss, Santa Fe, and Fort Apache in the Arizona territory.
It was at Ft. Apache that first-class Private Will Croft
Barnes, honored himself and the Signal Corps. Since
the military telegraph was the only telegraph in the area, it was
also used to convey civilian messages as well.
During 1881, Barnes sent over 4,000 messages. In addition to relaying these messages, Barnes was also
responsible for telegraphing four daily weather reports to
Washington. It
was Barnes duty to repair the telegraph line on a regular basis. He reported that the line was down as much as it was up.
This was always hazardous duty, for the lines ran through
hostile territory. His
citation reads, “for
his gallantry in action in the attack by Indians on the post
September 1st 1881.
Besides this particular act of gallantry Pvt. Barnes is
entitled to great credit for good conduct & attention to duty
during the trying period, from Aug 29th to Sept 10th,
as well as at all times while on duty here, and particularly for
going out with one man to repair the line, when it was supposed
that Indians were lurking near the road.” Kilbourne,
Charles E., 1LT When
war broke out with Spain in 1898, Charles Kilbourne answered the
call to arms and joined the Volunteer Signal Corps (VSC), an
expansion of the regular Signal Corps assigned to provide tactical
communications to the rapidly expanding Regular Army.
As an officer in this Volunteer Signal Corp, Kilbourne
could arguably be considered the first Army MARS hero. The
newly appointed second lieutenant in the Volunteer Signal Corps,
shipped out with Major General Arthur MacArthur’s expedition to
the Philippine Islands. Following
the end of hostilities with Spain, the Philippine Insurrection
erupted on 4 February 1899, the following day then First
Lieutenant Kilbourne earned a place in history for himself and all
volunteer signal men, to follow.
His citation reads, “Paco
Bridge, Philippine Islands 5 Feb. 1899 Within
a range of 250 yards of the enemy and in the face of a rapid fire,
climbed a telegraph pole at the east end of Paco Bridge and in
full view of the enemy coolly and carefully repaired a broken
telegraph wire, thereby reestablishing telegraphic communication
to the front.” For
his gallantry and courage Kilbourne was awarded the Medal of Honor Before
leaving the Philippines, Kilbourne applied for a commission in the
Regular Army. His
request was denied, due to a physical disqualification.
Very interesting, he can climb a telegraph pole,
under enemy fire, and repair a telegraph line at the top of the
pole, but he is physically disqualified.
That just shows what a dedicated MARS member can do!! He later reapplied and was accepted as an infantry officer. During World War I, he earned both the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Distinguished Service Medal. At the time, he was the only soldier to hold the nations three highest awards. He eventually rose to the rank of Major General before he retired.
Vosler,
Forrest L. No.
73, 6 Sept. 1944 For conspicuous gallantry in action against the enemy above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a radio operator-air gunner on a heavy bombardment aircraft in a mission over Bremen, Germany, on 20 Dec. 1943. After bombing the target, the aircraft in which Sergeant Vosler was serving was severely damaged by antiaircraft fire, forced out of formation and immediately subjected to repeated vicious attacks by enemy fighters. Early in the engagement a 20-mm. cannon shell exploded in the radio compartment, painfully wounding Sergeant Vosler in the legs and thighs. At about the same time a direct hit on the tail of the ship seriously wounded the tail gunner and rendered the tail guns inoperative. Realizing the great need for firepower in protecting the vulnerable tail of the ship, Sergeant Vosler, with grim determination, kept up a steady stream of deadly fire. Shortly thereafter another 20-mm. enemy shell exploded, wounding Sergeant Vosler in the chest and about the face. Pieces of metal lodged in both eyes, impairing his vision to such an extent that he could only distinguish blurred shapes. Displaying remarkable tenacity and courage, he kept firing his guns and declined to take first-aid treatment. The radio equipment had been rendered inoperative during the battle, and when the pilot announced that he would have to ditch, although unable to see and working entirely by touch, Sergeant Vosler, finally got the set operating and sent out distress signals despite several lapses into unconsciousness. When the ship ditched, Sergeant Vosler managed to get out on the wing by himself and hold the wounded tail gunner from slipping off until the other crew members could help them into the dinghy. Sergeant Vosler’s actions on this occasion were an inspiration to all serving with him. The extraordinary courage, coolness, and skill he displayed in the face of great odds, when handicapped by injuries that would have incapacitated the average crew member, were outstanding.
Pinder,
John J., Jr. Near
Colleville-sur-Mer, France 6 June 1944 For
conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of
duty on 6 June 1944, near Colleville-sur-Mer, France.
On D-day, Technician Fifth Grade Pinder landed on the coast
100 yards off shore under devastating enemy machine-gun and
artillery fire which caused severe casualties among the boatload.
Carrying a vitally important radio, he struggled towards
shore in waist-deep water. Only
a few yards from his craft he was hit by enemy fire and was
gravely wounded. Technician
Fifth Grade Pinder, though terribly weakened by loss of blood and
in fierce pain, on three occasions went into the fire-swept surf
to salvage communications equipment.
He recovered many vital parts and equipment, including
another workable radio. On
the third trip he was again hit, suffering machine-gun bullet
wounds in the legs. Still
this valiant soldier would not stop for rest or medical attention.
Remaining exposed to heavy enemy fire, growing steadily
weaker, he aided in establishing the vital radio communication on
the beach. While so
engaged this dauntless soldier was hit for the third time and
killed. The indomitable courage and personal bravery of Technician
Fifth Grade Pinder was a magnificent inspiration to the men with
whom he served. Benjamin,
George, Jr. Leyter,
Philippine Islands, 21 Dec. 1944 He was a radio operator, advancing in the rear of his company as it engaged a well-defended Japanese strongpoint holding up the progress of the entire battalion. When a rifle platoon supporting a light tank hesitated in its advance, he voluntarily and with utter disregard for personal safety left his comparatively secure position and ran across bullet-whipped terrain to the tank, waving and shouting to the men of the platoon to follow. Carrying his bulky radio and armed only with a pistol, he fearlessly penetrated intense machine-gun and rifle fire to the enemy position, where he killed one of the enemy in a fox hole and moved on to annihilate the crew of a light machine gun. Heedless of the terrific fire now concentrated on him, he continued to spearhead the assault, killing two more of the enemy and exhorting the other men to advance, until he fell mortally wounded. After being evacuated to an aid station, his first thought was still of the American advance. Overcoming great pain he called for the battalion operations officer to report the location of enemy weapons and valuable tactical information he had secured in his heroic charge. The unwavering courage, the unswerving devotion to the task at hand, the aggressive leadership of Private Benjamin were a source of great and lasting inspiration to his comrades and were to a great extent responsible for the success of the battalion’s mission.
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