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Submitted: 11/20/16 • Approved: 11/20/16 • Last Updated: 4/3/18 • R49310-G0-S3
Captain PAUL E. ST CLAIR
4/4/18951 ~ 7/31/1951*
HDQS. TROOP I 28th DIV.
WORLD WAR I
Spouse: Leoma K. Gardner*
In response to World War I, the division was drafted into federal service on Aug. 5, 1917, and trained at Camp Hancock, Ga. While in Georgia, the division was reorganized as the 28ID on Oct. 11, 1917. After arriving in France, the 28ID gained fame as a result of its gallant stand on July 15, 1918. As the division took up defensive positions along the Marne River east of Chateau-Thierry, the Germans commenced their attack with a fierce artillery bombardment. When the German assault collided with the main force of the 28ID, the fighting became bitter hand-to-hand combat. The 28ID repelled the German forces and decisively defeated their enemy. After the battle, Gen. John Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force, visited the battlefield and declared that the 28ID soldiers are "Men of Iron" and named the 28ID his "Iron Division." The 28ID developed a red keystone-shaped shoulder patch, officially adopted Oct. 27, 1918.
The 28ID was mobilized in preparation for World War II on Feb. 1, 1941. The first soldiers of the 28ID stepped ashore at Omaha Beach on July 22, 1944. On Aug. 29, 1944, the 28ID had the honor of being the first American division to parade through Paris, and later fought across northern France into Germany. As the 28ID breached the formidable Westwall of the German defenses in September 1944, Staff Sgt. Francis Clark from the 109th Infantry earned the Medal of Honor. The 28ID fought valiantly in the Huertgen Forest, disrupted the German counter-offensive during the Battle of the Bulge, and eventually liberated Colmar, France, from the grip of the German military. The 28ID crossed the Rhine and took positions in the Ruhr Pocket to stop any German forces driving south, and was in those positions when the fighting in Europe came to an end.
During the Korean War, the 28ID was mobilized and deployed to Europe as a part of the NATO command defending Western Europe from the threat of Soviet attack. The 28ID mobilized on Sept. 5, 1950, and remained on federal service until May 22, 1953.
Gravestone photo by JBH April 2012
*(A Genealogists Guide To Burials in
Northumberland Co. Pa. Vol 1 pg 351)
Contributed on 11/20/16 by kwilliams13629599
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Record #: 49310