Melvin E. Biddle, the last surviving Hoosier to receive the Medal of Honor during World War II, died

WWII hero earned Medal of Honor




Melvin E. Biddle, the last surviving Hoosier to receive the Medal of Honor during World War II, died Thursday at his home in Anderson.
He was 87.
Friends said Biddle, a Daleville native, was a humble man who rarely talked about the two days in 1944 when he single-handedly killed more than a dozen German soldiers.
"He didn't want to be publicized too much," said Lew Goodwin, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 266 in Anderson. "He told us he did it to help his buddies out. He got tired of being shot at. He got tired of everyone being pinned down."
Biddle was a member of VFW Post 266 but had been visiting less frequently as his health deteriorated, Goodwin said. He said he never saw Biddle wear his medal.
Fellow post members were proud to have Biddle among their ranks.
"He was just somebody you could look up to," said Bennie Cravens, 66. "You felt proud to be a member of the same organization."
Pfc. Biddle was a scout with the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment when his unit was sent to attack German soldiers encircling the town of Hotton, Belgium, on Dec. 23 and 24, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge.
Biddle pushed through dense forest and used his rifle and grenades to kill more than a dozen German snipers and machine gunners, according to his award citation.
"His 20-hour action enabled his battalion to break the enemy grasp on Hotton with a minimum of casualties," the citation said.
With Biddle's death, there are 86 surviving Medal of Honor recipients, including Sammy L. Davis, a Vietnam War veteran formerly of Indianapolis.
Davis, 64, said Biddle was known as "Uncle Bud" to fellow Medal of Honor recipients.
"When I grow up, I want to be just like Melvin Biddle," Davis said. "He was a good man in every aspect."
Davis had just undergone knee replacement surgery and was recuperating in a Vincennes-area hospital Friday. He said he hopes doctors discharge him in time to attend Biddle's funeral.
"It's made my heart heavy," Davis said.
President Harry S. Truman gave Biddle the medal on Oct. 12, 1945. According to the Medal of Honor Society, Truman whispered to Biddle: "People don't believe me when I tell them I'd rather have one of these than be president."
Biddle is survived by his wife, Leona, and other family members.

 

"The Herald Bulletin", Anderson, Indiana. Melvin's hometown newspaper.


December 17, 2010
Melvin Biddle: Reluctant hero

Anderson man, last living Hoosier Medal of Honor recipient, dies at 87

By Rodney Richey The Herald Bulletin The Herald Bulletin Fri Dec 17, 2010, 08:04 PM EST
ANDERSON, Ind. — Melvin E. “Bud” Biddle, the soft-spoken Anderson native who went on to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role in World War II’s infamous Battle of the Bulge, died Thursday at Saint John’s Medical Center. He was 87.

Gov. Mitch Daniels, upon hearing the news, issued a statement saying, “We call them the Greatest Generation for a reason, and in Melvin Biddle we have just lost one of the greatest of the great. Every Hoosier is proud that our state produced such a man.”

Biddle was the last living Hoosier to have received the Medal of Honor. His death leaves a total of 86 living Medal of Honor recipients.

“It’s quite a loss to the community and to the state,” said Stephen T. Jackson, Madison County historian. “He was a hero, and we don’t have that many heroes today.”

Leona and Melvin Biddle, childhood sweethearts, had been married for 64 years. She said in a statement only one thing: “I’ve lost the love of my life.”

Linda Stanley, his niece, said that Biddle “was definitely my hero.

“He didn’t like to talk about the war too much, about what he did. He did quite a lot. What he did was amazing.”

It was Christmas 1944, when Pfc. Biddle found himself with the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment near Hotton, Belgium.

A graduate of Anderson High School, Biddle had left his job with Delco Remy as a draftee into the U.S. Army. Now he was in the thick of the Battle of the Bulge, a last-gasp German offensive.

Though taken by surprise, the Americans fought back, in temperatures that reached below zero.

Biddle was scouting ahead for his unit when he encountered three German soldiers. Biddle quickly shot them all.

Then, the next night, Biddle was met with 17 German soldiers. Singlehandedly, Biddle engaged them, killing all 17, reportedly with 19 shots.

Less than a month later, Biddle took shrapnel. As he lay recovering, Biddle discovered that he had been nominated for the Medal of Honor, for what the order would later call “intrepid courage and superb daring.”

Biddle would always admit to a certain amount of fear while in combat, especially when he was out front.

“But I lost a lot of fear because I was out there and couldn’t let the troops down,” Biddle told Madison magazine in 2008.

According to family and friends, Biddle had led life on his own terms, shunning the spotlight except for the occasional interview. He never reveled in or glorified his exploits, say those who knew him, though he was within his rights to do so.

Former Madison County Circuit Court Judge Fred Spencer, himself an Army veteran, knew Biddle well enough that, rather than “Judge,” Biddle referred to him as “Spence.”

“It’s a cruel coincidence – or maybe fate made it happen that way – but he died on Dec. 16, which was the day the Battle of the Bulge started in 1944,” Spencer said Friday.

Toni Ledbetter, bar manager at American Legion Post 127 on Columbus Avenue, said that Biddle had always been a “very special person.”

“I’ve been here 18 years, and Bud was an everyday person,” Ledbetter said. “He’d never go around bragging about what he did.”

Biddle’s wife and family are Jehovah’s Witnesses, said granddaughter Lauryn Wicevic. To honor their beliefs, Biddle had requested his funeral not include a military observance.

According to Ledbetter, military honors will be rendered Monday night at the Legion.

“He was the best,” Wicevic said Friday. “He took care of all of us. He was the rock in our family. He was what held us all together.”

“It was a rare honor and pleasure to know one of Anderson’s real World War II heroes,” Spencer said.

“Probably the finest compliment that could be paid to him was by President Truman, who (speaking about the medal) told him on Oct. 12, 1945, ‘I’d rather have this than be president.’”

 

Melvin Biddle's MoH Citation:

General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 95 (October 30, 1945)
Action Date: December 23 & 24, 1944
Service: Army
Rank: Private First Class
Company: Company B
Battalion: 1st Battalion
Regiment: 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Division: 13th Airborne Division

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private First Class Melvin Earl Biddle, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy near Soy, Belgium, on 23 and 24 December 1944, while serving with Company B, 1st Battalion, 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 13th Airborne Division. Serving as lead scout during an attack to relieve the enemy-encircled town of Hotton, Private First Class Biddle aggressively penetrated a densely wooded area, advanced 400 yards until he came within range of intense enemy rifle fire, and within 20 yards of enemy positions killed three snipers with unerring marksmanship. Courageously continuing his advance an additional 200 yards, he discovered a hostile machinegun position and dispatched its two occupants. He then located the approximate position of a well-concealed enemy machinegun nest, and crawling forward threw hand grenades which killed two Germans and fatally wounded a third. After signaling his company to advance, he entered a determined line of enemy defense, coolly and deliberately shifted his position, and shot three more enemy soldiers. Undaunted by enemy fire, he crawled within 20 yards of a machinegun nest, tossed his last hand grenade into the position, and after the explosion charged the emplacement firing his rifle. When night fell, he scouted enemy positions alone for several hours and returned with valuable information which enabled our attacking infantry and armor to knock out two enemy tanks. At daybreak he again led the advance and, when flanking elements were pinned down by enemy fire, without hesitation made his way toward a hostile machinegun position and from a distance of 50 yards killed the crew and two supporting riflemen. The remainder of the enemy, finding themselves without automatic weapon support, fled panic stricken. Private First Class Biddle's intrepid courage and superb daring during his 20-hour action enabled his battalion to break the enemy grasp on Hotton with a minimum of casualties.

------------------

There are now only 17 left, out of an original 464 (including 266 posthumously):

[Recipient Name, Current age, Rank at time of award, Date of action]

Van T Barfoot (Age 91, T/Sgt, May 23 1944)
Mike Colalillo (Age 85, Pvt, Apr 7th 1945)
Charles Coolidge (Age 89, T/Sgt, Oct 24 1944)
Francis Currey (Age 85, Sgt, Dec 21 1944)
Walter Ehlers (Age 89, S/Sgt, June 9 1944)
Barney Hajiro (Age 94, Pvt, Oct 19-29 1944)
John Hawk (Age 86, Sgt, Aug 20 1944)
Daniel Inouye (Age 89, 2nd Lt, Apr 21 1945)
Arthur Jackson (Age 86, PFC, Sept 18 1944)
Robert Maxwell (Age 90, T/5, Sept 7 1944)
Vernon McGarity (Age 89, T/Sgt, Dec 16 1944)
Charles Murray (Age 89, 1st Lt, Dec 16 1944)
Nicholas Orseko (Age 93, MSgt, Jan 23 1945)
Wilburn Ross (Age 88, Pvt, Oct 30 1944)
George Sakato (Age 89, Pvt, Oct 29 1944)
Paul Wiedorfer (Age 89, Pvt, Dec 25 1944)
Hershel Williams (Age 87, Cpl, Feb 23 1945)

 

appreciate the additional information/posts, alan, boozie....

 

The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind., Scott Underwood column | Reports, Reviews & Sections > Listings & Notices from AllBusiness.com

Jan. 02--The recent death of World War II combat hero Melvin Biddle drew intense local and national media attention. The attention was well deserved; Biddle was a Medal of Honor winner for his courage and bravery in the European Theater of the war. His passing left just 86 living recipients of the Medal of Honor.
While Biddle achieved a high degree of fame, the service of most military veterans passes largely unnoticed by the general public. When these veterans die, family, friends and those who served alongside them in the military may recount their devotion and sacrifice to their country -- but neighbors, coworkers and strangers may know nothing about it.
The sheer volume of Madison County area folks who gave chunks of their lives to defend our country and its interests is often reflected on the Obituaries pages of The Herald Bulletin. Most every day, readers find at least one obituary that is marked with an American flag, symbolic of military service.
In the Dec. 30 newspaper, two weeks after Biddle's passing, I was struck by seven such flags on our Obituaries page. These folks ranged in age from 97 to 59, and their obituaries told varied stories.
--The obituary for Clarence M. Day, 79, shares few details of his life but notes that he served in the U.S. Army in Germany.
--The obituary for Beulah M. Murphy, 97, explains that she served in the U.S. Navy as a WAVE, which stands for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. About 90,000 women served as WAVEs in the Navy during World War II, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command website. Most WAVEs served in secretarial and clerical positions, but some had other roles in military fields such as medicine, intelligence and communications.
--Darrell L. "Spike" Riggins, 81, served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. A family man, he was a master brick mason for more than 50 years and loved the outdoors.
-- Melvin L. Shrock, 74, served in the U.S. Naval Reserve for 13 years. He was a meat cutter and operated the Strawtown Flea Market for more than a decade. He also enjoyed woodworking and fishing.
--Charles A. "Chick" Mattingly, 85, drove a truck for Slater Cartage for more than 40 years and was a U.S. Navy veteran.
--Russell C. Foist, 97, fought in World War II as an Army Air Corps radioman, bombardier and machine gunner, flying missions in the North Pacific. He was a plant superintendent before retiring from Guide Lamp in 1974.
--Richard D. King, 59, served in the U.S. Army 1976-84. He helped manage the family business, King's Lunch in Summitville, and went on to be a store manager in Escondido, Calif.
These seven are tied together by the date that news of their deaths appeared in the local newspaper. While the stories of their lives may seem common to Madison County, each is a part of our community's remarkable legacy of military service.