Word Celebrity Blog

Robert D. Maxwell


Robert D. Maxwell was born on October 26, 1920, in Boise, Idaho. He joined the Army in early 1942. His World  War II military service spans nearly the whole American involvement in the war in Europe.

























Robert D Maxwell, reached the rank of Technician Fifth Grade, in the 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.

He is now 89 years old, the father of four daughters, grandfather to seven and great-grandfather to three. He lives in Bend, Oregon. He is the only living Medal Of Honor hero living in the State of Oregon.





















Robert Maxwell was the “wire man” to his Army buddies. He was a lineman in charge of stringing up the field phone connections for his battalion’s communications. When he landed in North Africa with the 7th Infantry as a technician fifth grade, he carried an M-1 rifle. But along with his wire and tools, the load was so heavy that he was reclassified as a noncombatant, which allowed him to carry only a .45-caliber pistol.




















After the North Africa campaign, Bob Maxwell’s division invaded Sicily in July 1943, and then raced north to
Palermo and east to Messina. They helped capture the island in thirty-eight days. The division next moved to
the newly established Salerno beachhead and fought its way north through the mountains near Montecassino.

In early January 1944, a few days after it landed on the beaches of Anzio, Bob Maxwell was wounded and Hospitalized in Naples for several months. He earned the Silver Star for "tenacity and total disregard for his own safety." He rejoined his outfit before the invasion of southern France.

On September 7, Bob Maxwell’s battalion was part of the assault on the town Besancon. His job was to string a communications wire to connect the front lines with the American command post, which was set up in a shell-pocked farmhouse surrounded by a four-foot stone wall. Along the top of the wall was a mesh-wire fence.


























Shortly after midnight, Bob Maxwell was standing guard in the courtyard of the house, when a German platoon that had infiltrated the American battalion’s forward companies opened fire with machineguns and 20mm anti-aircraft weapons. In the dark, Bob Maxwell could see the advancing Germans as they were briefly illuminated by gunfire and hear the twang of their grenades bouncing off the mesh wire above the wall. They came within ten yards of the command post, trying to take out the officers inside. Maxwell fought them off with his .45, as three other soldiers, also armed only with pistols, joined him.

After several minutes of fighting, an enemy grenade cleared the wire. Bob Maxwell heard it hit the courtyard a few feet away from the door of the command post. Fearing that it would injure the officers, he moved to grab it and toss it back at the enemy. But he realized there wasn’t time, so he smothered it with his body, then lost consciousness.

When Bob Maxwell regained consciousness, he was alone. He had large shrapnel wounds in his head and arms, and part of his right foot was blown away. His platoon leader appeared and picked Maxwell up, and helped him walk out the back door of the farmhouse. Just as they reached the road, another German grenade landed behind them. The force of the explosion knocked them both to the ground.



















Robert Maxwell was recuperating in the hospital in Naples, When a Chaplain told him that he had been recommended for the Medal of Honor. He assumed it was just talk. On May 12, 1945, at a Camp Carson Convalescent Hospital in Colorado, Robert D. Maxwell received the medal from the camp commander, General C. W. Danielson, in a ceremony which was attended by the medical personnel.





































After he was discharged, Robert Maxwell enrolled in school and later married his sweetheart, Beatrice – a telephone operator. Bob Maxwell switched to automobile mechanics, which he taught for nearly forty years.





















Robert Maxwell is now retired and  lives in Oregon where he sponsors college scholarships for Junior ROTC students in that state.


















In addition to the Medal of Honor, Robert Maxwell was awarded - 
The Silver Star (with Oak leaf cluster);
Bronze Star;
Purple Heart (with oak leaf cluster);
Combat Infantry Badge.
The French equivalent of our MOH and Distinguished Service Cross i.e. French Legion of Merit and Croix De Guere / Foreusmere.



Medal of Honor

Rank and organization:
Technician Fifth Grade, U.S. Army,
7th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division.

Place and date:
Near Besancon, France,
September 7, 1944.

Entered service at:
Larimer County, Colorado.

Birth:
Boise, Idaho.
October 26, 1920

G.O. No.: 24,
April 6, 1945.














Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 7 September 1944, near Besancon, France. Technician 5th Grade Maxwell and 3 other soldiers, armed only with .45 caliber automatic pistols, defended the battalion observation post against an overwhelming onslaught by enemy infantrymen in approximately platoon strength, supported by 20mm. flak and machinegun fire, who had infiltrated through the battalion's forward companies and were attacking the observation post with machine- gun, machine pistol, and grenade fire at ranges as close as 10 yards. Despite a hail of fire from automatic weapons and grenade launchers, Technician 5th Grade Maxwell aggressively fought off advancing enemy elements and, by his calmness, tenacity, and fortitude, inspired his fellows to continue the unequal struggle. When an enemy hand grenade was thrown in the midst of his squad, Technician 5th Grade Maxwell unhesitatingly hurled himself squarely upon it, using his blanket and his unprotected body to absorb the full force of the explosion.

This act of instantaneous heroism permanently maimed Technician 5th Grade Maxwell, but saved the lives of his comrades in arms and facilitated maintenance of vital military communications during the temporary withdrawal of the battalion's forward headquarters.







































In a 1945 article that  was printed in Collier's Magazine: "COURAGE, like everything else, has its kinds of degrees. No one would detract a hair's weight from the bravery of the firing line, but in battle there is the heartening touch of a comrade's shoulder, the excitement of the charge, and the 50-50 chance of coming out alive. All these aids are lacking in those epic instances where men make death a deliberate choice... one example that stands out for sheer drama and sustained fortitude is that of Technician Fifth Grade Robert D. Maxwell, who covered a German hand grenade with his body, smothering the explosion that would have killed every member of his group."