Clyde Lee Choate of West Frankfort, Illinois, a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary actions on October 25, 1944, near Bruyères, France.
Choate enlisted in the Army as a private and served 31 months overseas in the European Theatre.
By October 25, 1944, he was serving as a staff sergeant in Company C, 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion. On October 25, near Bruyères in eastern France, his tank destroyer was hit and set on fire in an attack by German forces.
By October 25, 1944, he was serving as a staff sergeant in Company C, 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion. On October 25, near Bruyères in eastern France, his tank destroyer was hit and set on fire in an attack by German forces.
He ordered his crew to abandon the destroyer and reach safety but then returned through hostile fire to ensure no one was trapped inside. Seeing a German tank overrunning American infantry soldiers, he single-handedly attacked and destroyed the tank.
He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on October 25, 1944. Choate was honorably discharged from the Army in 1946. In 1946, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives.
After three decades in the legislature, he retired in 1976 and became the director of external affairs for Southern Illinois University. He died at age 81 from complications of congestive heart failure and is buried at Anna Cemetery, Anna, Illinois.
Comments
Post a Comment