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{{Short description|Native American soldier (1922–1967)}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2018}}
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|birth_place = [[Apache, Oklahoma]], U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|1967|11|7|1922|01|29|mf=y}}
|death_place = {{nowr|near [[Lộc Ninh (township)|Loc Ninh]], South Vietnam}}
|placeofburial = [[Fort Sill National Cemetery]]
|allegiance = {{flagu|United States|size=20px}}
|branch_label = Branch
|branch = [[United States Army]]
|serviceyears_label = Years of service
|serviceyears = 1942–1967
|rank = [[First lieutenantSergeant]]
|servicenumber = 18131087
|unit_label = Regiments
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}}
 
'''Pascal Cleatus Poolaw''' (January 29, 1922&nbsp;– November 7, 1967) was a [[Kiowa]] who served with the [[United States Army]] in [[World War II]], the [[Korean War]], and the [[Vietnam War]]. He is the United States' most decorated [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], with 42&nbsp;medals and citations, including the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]], four [[Silver Star]]s, five [[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Stars]], as well as three [[Purple Heart]]s&nbsp;– one for each war.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pascal C. Poolaw Sr.|url=https://www.army.mil/americanindians/poolaw.html|website=army.mil|series=American Indians in the U.S. Army|accessdateaccess-date=2018-12-08|df=mdy-all|quote=Most decorated American Indian Soldier}}</ref>
 
== Early life ==
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== Military career ==
In 1942, Poolaw joined his father and two brothers in [[World War II]]. He earned his first [[Purple Heart]] when he was wounded in September&nbsp;1944.{{sfn|Meadows|2012|p=74}} He earned his first [[Silver Star]] for his actions [[Bastogne|near Recogne]], Belgium, while serving in theCompany M, [[8th Infantry Regiment (United States)|8th&nbsp;Infantry Regiment]]'s M&nbsp;Company, when he pushed his unit forward under heavy fire and hurled hand grenades at enemy machine guns until the enemy dispersed.{{sfn|Hall of Valor|2010}}
 
He continued to serve in the [[Korean War]], where he earned two more Silver Stars, and in July&nbsp;1950, another Purple Heart,{{sfn|Meadows|2012|p=74}} before his return to the United States in 1952.{{sfn|Hall of Valor|2010}} He retired from the Army in 1962.
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== Legacy ==
At his funeral his wife stated: "He has followed the trail of the great chiefs."{{sfn|Ward|Burns|2017|p=244}} A building at the U.S. Army base in [[Fort Sill]] in [[Lawton, Oklahoma]]—where he was stationed prior to his deployment to Vietnam—is named in his honor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kiowa citizen Pascal Cleatus Poolaw considered most decorated Indian soldier|url=https://www.indianz.com/News/2017/11/07/kiowa-citizen-pascal-cleatus-poolaw-cons.asp|newspaper=Indianz.Com|date=2017-11-07|accessdateaccess-date=2018-02-02|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
 
=== Awards ===
Poolaw was the recipient of the following military decorations and service medals:{{sfn|Struzinski|2012|p=9}}<center>
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
{|
|colspan=4 align=center|[[File:CIB3.gif|206px|alt=]]
|-
|colspan=4 align=center|{{ribbon devices|width=106|number=0|ribbon=Distinguished Service Cross ribbon.svg{{!}}border}} {{ribbon devices|width=106|number=0|ribbon=Silver Star Medal ribbon.svg{{!}}border|type=oak}}<span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -85px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|22px]]</span><span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -64px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|22px]]</span><span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -43px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|22px]]</span> {{ribbon devices|width=106|number=4|ribbon=Bronze Star ribbon.svg{{!}}border|type=oak|other_device=v}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|width=106|number=0|ribbon=Purple Heart ribbon.svg{{!}}border|type=oak}}<span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -75px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|22px]]</span><span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -53px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|22px]]</span>
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|{{ribbon devices|width=106|number=0|ribbon=Republic of Korea War Service Medal ribbon.svg{{!}}border}}
|-
|colspan=4 align=center|{{ribbon devices|width=106|number=0|ribbon=U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg{{!}}border}}{{ribbon devices|width=106|number=0|ribbon=Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg{{!}}border}}
|-
|colspan=4 align=center|{{ribbon devices|width=106|number=0|ribbon=Korean Presidential Unit Citation.png{{!}}border}}{{ribbon devices|width=106|number=0|ribbon=Presidential Unit Citation Vietnam (Army sized).png{{!}}border}}{{ribbon devices|width=106|number=0|ribbon=Gallantry Cross Unit Citation.png{{!}}border}}
|}
 
{|class=wikitable style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|-valign=top
!Badge
|colspan=12 align=center|[[Combat Infantryman Badge]]<br />with two stars
|-
|-valign=top
!1st&nbsp;row
|colspan=4 align=center|[[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]]
|colspan=4 align=center|[[Silver Star Medal]]<br />with [[oak leaf cluster]]s{{sfn|Hall of Valor|2010}}
|colspan=4 align=center|[[Bronze Star Medal]]<br />with [["V" device]] and [[oak leaf clusters]]
|-
|-valign=top
!2nd&nbsp;row
|colspan=3 align=center|[[Purple Heart]]<br />with oak leaf clusters
|colspan=3 align=center|[[Air Medal]]
|colspan=3 align=center|[[Army Commendation Medal]]<br />with [["V" device]] and [[oak leaf clusters]]
|colspan=3 align=center|[[Army Good Conduct Medal|Good Conduct Medal]]<br />{{nowr|with [[good conduct loop]]s}}
|-
|-valign=top
!3rd&nbsp;row
|colspan=3 align=center|[[American Campaign Medal]]
|colspan=3 align=center|[[European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal|EAME Campaign Medal]]<br />with [[arrowhead device|arrowhead]] and [[service star]]
|colspan=3 align=center|[[World War II Victory Medal]]
|colspan=3 align=center|[[Army of Occupation Medal]]
|-
|-valign=top
!4th&nbsp;row
|colspan=3 align=center class=nowrap|[[National Defense Service Medal]]<br />with [[service star]]
|colspan=3 align=center|[[Korean Service Medal]]<br />with [[service star]]s
|colspan=3 align=center|[[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]]
|colspan=3 align=center|[[Vietnam Service Medal]]<br />with [[service star]]s
|-
|-valign=top
!5th&nbsp;row
|colspan=3 align=center|[[Korea Defense Service Medal]]
|colspan=3 align=center|[[United Nations Korea Medal|United Nations Service Medal]]
|colspan=3 align=center|[[Vietnam Campaign Medal]]<br />with "''60''–" clasp
|colspan=3 align=center|[[Republic of Korea War Service Medal|Korean War Service Medal]]
|-
|-valign=top
!6th&nbsp;row
|colspan=6 align=center|[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]]
|colspan=6 align=center|[[Meritorious Unit Commendation]]
|-
|-valign=top
!7th&nbsp;row
|colspan=4 align=center|[[Korea Presidential Unit Citation]]
|colspan=4 align=center|[[Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation]]
|colspan=4 align=center|[[Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation]]
}|}▼
|}</center>
 
== Footnotes ==
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|publisher = University of Oklahoma Press
|isbn = 9780806186023
}}▼
|ref = harv
▲}}
*{{cite web
|title = Pascal Cleatus Poolaw
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|publisher = Sightline Media Group
|date = 2010-03-12|df=mdy-all
|accessdateaccess-date = 2018-12-09
|ref = {{sfnref|Hall of Valor|2010}}
}}
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|website = Together We Served
|series = Military Timeline
|accessdateaccess-date = 2018-12-08|df=mdy-all
|date = 2010-12-21
|ref = {{sfnref|Together We Served|2010}}
}}
*{{cite journal
|last = Struzinski
|first = F.
|date = 2012
|title = The Soldiers of Srok Rung
|url = https://legacy.1stid.org/bhs/2012Fall.pdf
|journal = Bridgehead Sentinel
|location = Trenton
|publisher = Society of the First Infantry Division
|oclc = 11274165
|access-date = December 11, 2018
|ref = harv
|archive-date = December 15, 2018
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181215171649/https://legacy.1stid.org/bhs/2012Fall.pdf
|url-status = dead
}}
*{{cite book
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|publisher = Doubleday
|isbn = 9781524733100
}}
|ref = harv
▲}}
 
== External links ==
* {{find a grave|21687835|Pascal Cleatus Poolaw}}
 
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:1967 deaths]]
[[Category:AmericanUnited armyStates Army personnel of the Korean War]]
[[Category:AmericanUnited armyStates Army personnel of the VietnamWorld War II]]
[[Category:American army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:American military personnel killed in the Vietnam War]]▼
[[Category:Kiowa people]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Oklahoma]]
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[[Category:People from Caddo County, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Silver Star]]
▲[[Category:AmericanUnited militaryStates Army personnel killed in the Vietnam War]]

Latest revision as of 20:58, 1 April 2024

Pascal Poolaw
Poolaw during the Korean War
Birth namePascal Cleatus Poolaw
Born(1922-01-29)January 29, 1922
Apache, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedNovember 7, 1967(1967-11-07) (aged 45)
near Loc Ninh, South Vietnam
Buried
Fort Sill National Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States
BranchUnited States Army
Years of service1942–1967
RankFirst Sergeant
Service number18131087
Regiments
Wars
Awards

Pascal Cleatus Poolaw (January 29, 1922 – November 7, 1967) was a Kiowa who served with the United States Army in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He is the United States' most decorated Native American, with 42 medals and citations, including the Distinguished Service Cross, four Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars, as well as three Purple Hearts – one for each war.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Pascal Poolaw was born in Apache, Oklahoma, to Ralph Emerson Poolaw and Minnie Monetathchi Bointy. He married Irene Chalepah on March 15, 1940, and had four sons: Lester, Pascal Jr., Lindy, and Donnie.

Military career

[edit]

In 1942, Poolaw joined his father and two brothers in World War II. He earned his first Purple Heart when he was wounded in September 1944.[2] He earned his first Silver Star for his actions near Recogne, Belgium, while serving in Company M, 8th Infantry Regiment, when he pushed his unit forward under heavy fire and hurled hand grenades at enemy machine guns until the enemy dispersed.[3]

He continued to serve in the Korean War, where he earned two more Silver Stars, and in July 1950, another Purple Heart,[2] before his return to the United States in 1952.[3] He retired from the Army in 1962.

Poolaw's son, Pascal Jr., had also joined the army and was serving in the Vietnam War in February 1967, when he was wounded in both legs by a landmine, and had to have his right leg amputated below the knee. Poolaw's youngest son Lindy was also drafted and set to deploy to Vietnam shortly thereafter.

Poolaw rejoined the Army to prevent Lindy from having to serve, by taking his place. Lindy had already shipped out and Poolaw had hoped to catch up with him in time, but when he arrived on the West Coast, he discovered his son had already left the day before. He decided to follow his son to Vietnam.

Poolaw was deployed on May 31, 1967, as the first sergeant of the 26th Infantry Regiment's C Company. On November 7, while on a search and destroy mission during the first battle of Loc Ninh, Poolaw and his unit were ambushed by the Viet Cong. He was killed while attempting to pull a unit casualty to safety, and posthumously awarded a fourth Silver Star.[3]

Legacy

[edit]

At his funeral his wife stated: "He has followed the trail of the great chiefs."[4] A building at the U.S. Army base in Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma—where he was stationed prior to his deployment to Vietnam—is named in his honor.[5]

Awards

[edit]

Poolaw was the recipient of the following military decorations and service medals:[6]

V
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Ribbon clasp
Bronze star
Badge Combat Infantryman Badge
with two stars
1st row Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star Medal
with oak leaf clusters[3] 		Bronze Star Medal
with "V" device and oak leaf clusters
2nd row Purple Heart
with oak leaf clusters 		Air Medal Army Commendation Medal
with "V" device and oak leaf clusters 		Good Conduct Medal
with good conduct loops
3rd row American Campaign Medal EAME Campaign Medal
with arrowhead and service star 		World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal
4th row National Defense Service Medal
with service star 		Korean Service Medal
with service stars 		Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal
with service stars
5th row Korea Defense Service Medal United Nations Service Medal Vietnam Campaign Medal
with "60–" clasp 		Korean War Service Medal
6th row Presidential Unit Citation Meritorious Unit Commendation
7th row Korea Presidential Unit Citation Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ "Pascal C. Poolaw Sr". army.mil. American Indians in the U.S. Army. Retrieved December 8, 2018. Most decorated American Indian Soldier
  2. ^ a b Meadows 2012, p. 74.
  3. ^ a b c d Hall of Valor 2010.
  4. ^ Ward & Burns 2017, p. 244.
  5. ^ "Kiowa citizen Pascal Cleatus Poolaw considered most decorated Indian soldier". Indianz.Com. November 7, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  6. ^ Struzinski 2012, p. 9.

Sources

[edit]


Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Pascal C. Poolaw Sr. United States Army.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pascal_Poolaw&oldid=1216762371"