Master Sgt. Woodrow Wilson Keeble,
born in 1917 in Waubay on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Reservation,
will be the first Sioux soldier to receive the Medal of Honor when the
White House gives him the posthumous honor in a ceremony planned
for March 3. Keeble risked his life to save fellow soldiers in the Korean War.
(Courtesy photo)
| Congress Authorizes President to Award Medal of Honor to Woodrow Keeble |
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Washington, D.C. - Senator John Thune announced that the Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Authorization conference report authorizes the President of the United States to posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Master Sergeant Woodrow Keeble in recognition of his service during the Korean War. Master Sergeant Keeble was a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe and will be the first Dakota Sioux to receive the Medal of Honor.
"The Medal of Honor is the highest distinction a soldier can earn, and Master Sergeant Woodrow Keeble's valiant service certainly deserves this recognition," said Thune. "Master Sergeant Keeble's legacy is a great source of pride for his family, his fellow Dakota Sioux, and all South Dakotans. I am honored to have played a role in securing this distinction for him."
On approximately October 15, 1951, in the vicinity of Kumsong, North Korea, all of the officers of the G Company were either wounded or killed during enemy combat. Master Sergeant Keeble voluntarily led the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Platoons in three successful assaults. Armed with grenades and a rifle, Keeble then single handedly eliminated three four-man pillboxes. Keeble was severely wounded with at least five separate injuries to his chest, both arms, and both legs. Master Sergeant Keeble was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star First Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Purple Heart with the Oak Leaf Cluster. He was recommended for the Medal of Honor, but never received it.
While serving in the House of Representatives, then-Representative Thune first requested Master Sergeant Keeble's Distinguished Service Cross be upgraded to the Medal of Honor in a letter to the Secretary of the Army on May 17, 2002. Since that time, Senator Thune has continued to work with the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, the Department of Defense and other officials to properly recognize the valor of one of our country's true heroes.
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Read an exceptional article about Keeble's life and service at Military.com í here
Russell Hawkins, Keeble's step-son said:
"[My] feelings about Keeble echo those of all who knew him. "If he was alive today, I would tell him there's no one I respect more, and how he is everything a man should be: brave, kind and generous. I would tell him how proud I am of him, and how I never realized that all this time, I was living with such greatness."
