 |
| PFC William Shockley earned the Medal of Honor while serving in the Philippines during the Battle of Luzon. |
William was born on December 4, 1918 in Bokoshe, Oklahoma. His parents William and True were born in Oklahoma and Arkansas, respectively. His father worked as a farm laborer. William had two younger brothers and two younger sisters. At some point before 1940, the family moved to Selma, California, where William’s father died in December 1943.
William enlisted in the US Army National Guard in January 1940 and served in the 128th Infantry Regiment. The 128th Infantry Regiment was called to federal service as part of the 32nd Infantry Division on 15 October 1940 and, after training in Louisiana, the unit was moved by convoy to Port Adelaide, Australia.
The 32nd Division was among the first of all US divisions to engage in ground assault against the enemy in World War II. PFC Shockley participated with the 128th in the battles of Buna, New Guinea; Saidor and Aitape, New Guinea, where he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge; Leyte, Philippines; and Luzon, Philippines.
PFC Shockley was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Luzon. His citation reads:
“The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Private First Class William Ralph Shockley, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty on 31 March 1945, while serving with Company L, 128th Infantry Regiment, 32d Infantry Division, in action at Villa Verde Trail, Luzon, Philippine Islands.
"Private First Class Shockley was in position with his unit on a hill when the enemy, after a concentration of artillery fire, launched a counterattack. He maintained his position under intense enemy fire and urged his comrades to withdraw, saying that he would "remain to the end" to provide cover.
"Although he had to clear two stoppages which impeded the reloading of his weapon, he halted one enemy charge. Hostile troops then began moving in on his left flank, and he quickly shifted his gun to fire on them. Knowing that the only route of escape was being cut off by the enemy, he ordered the remainder of his squad to withdraw to safety and deliberately remained at his post. He continued to fire until he was killed during the ensuing enemy charge. Later, four Japanese were found dead in front of his position.
"Private First Class Shockley, facing certain death, sacrificed himself to save his fellow soldiers, but the heroism and gallantry displayed by him enabled his squad to reorganize and continue its attack.”
William Ralph Shockley is buried in Floral Memorial Park in Selma, California.
Thank you William for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for William.
_____
This profile was written by Bob Fuerst. "I’m a NASA engineer, B-17 Flying Fortress enthusiast, and amateur genealogist so this kind of research is an ideal outlet for me. But more than anything, it’s a way to express my sincere appreciation for The Greatest Generation and the sacrifices that they made, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They should never be forgotten and I’m grateful to Don for allowing me to play a small part in honoring them."
Last year on this date I profiled Albert Meeham of the 80th Infantry Division. You can read about Albert here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by
The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation
“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”
No comments:
Post a Comment