MARCH 17, 2005

CREEK WWII MEDAL OF HONOR WINNER LCOL ERNEST CHILDERS DIED

Born February 1, 1918, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Childers attended Chilocco Indian Agricultural School before joining the Oklahoma Army National Guard in 1937 as a 2^nd Lieutenant. On September 22, 1943, in Oliveto, Italy, Childers, despite fracturing his instep, led an advance up a hill toward enemy machinegun nests. At a rock wall, Childers ordered a base of fire across the field so that he could advance. He killed two enemy snipers, moved behind and killed both occupants of one machinegun nest, and threw rocks into the second causing its occupants to raise up. He then shot one and his team killed the other. From there, Childers continued up the hill and, single-handed, captured an enemy mortar observer. For his actions, Childers was awarded the Medal of Honor—the first awarded to a Native American since the Indian Wars. Childers remained in the Army after the war retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He is buried in Broken Arrow.

Sources: 

“Childers, Ernest,” Medal of Honor Recipients, World War II (A-F). Retrieved 12/11/2019, http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/wwII-a-f.html

Wikipedia

Photo:  War Department, 4/12/1944.   Public domain.