Pascal Poolaw: Difference between revisions

Pascal Poolaw
Pascal Poolaw
	Poolaw during the Korean War
Birth name	Pascal Cleatus Poolaw Sr.
Born	January 22, 1922; Apache, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	November 7, 1967 (aged 45); near Loc Ninh, South Vietnam
Buried	Fort Sill National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Service years	1942–1967
Rank	First sergeant
Units	8th Infantry Regiment; 27th Infantry Regiment; 26th Infantry Regiment;
Wars	World War II (1943–1945); Korean War (1950–1952); Vietnam War (1967) †;
Awards	Silver Star (4); Bronze Star (5); Distinguished Service Cross;

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit Next edit →

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Revision as of 18:43, 21 March 2019

Pascal Cleatus Poolaw Sr. (January 22, 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 four Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars, as well as three Purple Hearts – one for each war.^[1]

Biography

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.

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 the 8th Infantry Regiment's M Company, 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.

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

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 and honors

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

Badge	Combat Infantryman Badge w/ two stars
1st row	Distinguished Service Cross		Silver Star Medal w/ oak leaf clusters^[3]		Bronze Star Medal w/ "V" device and oak leaf clusters
2nd row	Purple Heart w/ oak leaf clusters	Air Medal		Army Commendation Medal w/ "V" device and oak leaf clusters		Good Conduct Medal w/ good conduct loops
3rd row	American Campaign Medal	EAME Campaign Medal w/ arrowhead and service star		World War II Victory Medal		Army of Occupation Medal
4th row	National Defense Service Medal	Korean Service Medal w/ service stars		Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal		Vietnam Service Medal w/ service stars
5th row	Korea Defense Service Medal	United Nations Service Medal		Vietnam Campaign Medal w/ "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

Notes

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

Sources

Meadows, W. (2012). Kiowa Military Societies: Ethnohistory and Ritual. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 9780806186023. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
"Pascal Cleatus Poolaw". Military Times. The Hall of Valor Project. Sightline Media Group. March 12, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
"Poolaw, Pascal Cleatus, Sr., 1SG". Together We Served. Military Timeline. December 21, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
Struzinski, F. (2012). "The Soldiers of Srok Rung" (PDF). Bridgehead Sentinel. Trenton: Society of the First Infantry Division. OCLC 11274165. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Ward, G.; Burns, K. (2017). The Vietnam War: An Intimate History. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 9781524733100. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

Pascal Cleatus Poolaw at Find a Grave

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

[1] "Pascal C. Poolaw Sr". army.mil. American Indians in the U.S. Army. Retrieved December 8, 2018. Most decorated American Indian Soldier

[FOOTNOTEMeadows201274-2] Meadows 2012, p. 74.

[FOOTNOTEHall_of_Valor2010-3] Hall of Valor 2010.

[FOOTNOTEWardBurns2017244-4] 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.

[FOOTNOTEStruzinski20129-6] Struzinski 2012, p. 9.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 }}
-'''Pascal Cleatus Poolaw Sr.''' (January 22, 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 four [[Silver Star]]s, five [[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Stars]], as well as three [[Purple Heart]]s – 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|accessdate=2018-12-08|df=mdy-all|quote=Most decorated American Indian Soldier}}</ref>
+'''Pascal Cleatus Poolaw Sr.''' (January 22, 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 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|accessdate=2018-12-08|df=mdy-all|quote=Most decorated American Indian Soldier}}</ref>
 == Biography ==
-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.
+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.
 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 the [[8th Infantry Regiment (United States)|8th Infantry Regiment]]'s M 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}}
@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 His son Pascal Jr. had also joined the army and was serving in the [[Vietnam War]] in February&nbsp;1967, when he got wounded in both legs by a landmine and had to have his right leg amputated below the knee. His youngest son Lindy was also drafted and set to deploy to Vietnam shortly. 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 and was deployed on May 31, 1967, as the first sergeant of the [[26th Infantry Regiment (United States)|26th Infantry Regiment]]'s C Company. On November&nbsp;7, while on a search and destroy mission during the [[First Battle of Lộc 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Poolaw, Pascal Cleatus, Sr., 1SG|url=https://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=SBVTimeLine&type=Person&ID=7995
+He decided to follow his son to Vietnam and was deployed on May 31, 1967, as the first sergeant of the [[26th Infantry Regiment (United States)|26th Infantry Regiment]]'s C Company. On November&nbsp;7, while on a search and destroy mission during the [[First Battle of Lộc 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.{{sfn|Hall of Valor|2010}}
-|website=TogetherWeServed|series=Military Timeline|accessdate=2018-12-08|df=mdy-all}}</ref>{{sfn|Hall of Valor|2010}}
-At his funeral, his wife stated: "He has followed the trail of the great chiefs."{{sfn|Ward|Burns|2017|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=i4KyDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA244 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|accessdate=2018-02-02|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
+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|accessdate=2018-02-02|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
 == Awards and honors ==
@@ Line 136: / Line 135: @@
  |last        = Meadows
  |first       = W.
- |year        = 2012
+ |date        = 2012
  |title       = Kiowa Military Societies: Ethnohistory and Ritual
  |location    = Norman
  |publisher   = University of Oklahoma Press
  |isbn        = 9780806186023
- |ref         = harv
+ |ref         = harv}}
-}}
 *{{cite web
  |title       = Pascal Cleatus Poolaw
  |url         = https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/24655
- |work        = MilitaryTimes.com
+ |work        = Military Times
  |series      = The Hall of Valor Project
  |publisher   = Sightline Media Group
  |date        = 2010-03-12|df=mdy-all
  |accessdate  = 2018-12-09
- |ref         = {{sfnref|Hall of Valor|2010}}
+ |ref         = {{sfnref|Hall of Valor|2010}}}}
-}}
 *{{cite web
  |title       = Poolaw, Pascal Cleatus, Sr., 1SG
@@ Line 160: / Line 157: @@
  |accessdate  = 2018-12-08|df=mdy-all
  |date        = 2010-12-21
- |ref         = {{sfnref|Together We Served|2010}}
+ |ref         = {{sfnref|Together We Served|2010}}}}
-}}
 *{{cite journal
  |last        = Struzinski
  |first       = F.
- |year        = 2012
+ |date        = 2012
  |title       = The Soldiers of Srok Rung
  |url         = https://legacy.1stid.org/bhs/2012Fall.pdf
@@ Line 172: / Line 168: @@
  |publisher   = Society of the First Infantry Division
  |oclc        = 11274165
- |ref         = harv
+ |ref         = harv}}
-}}
 *{{cite book
  |last1       = Ward
@@ Line 181: / Line 176: @@
  |first2      = K.
  |authorlink2 = Ken Burns
- |year        = 2017
+ |date        = 2017
  |title       = The Vietnam War: An Intimate History
  |location    = New York
  |publisher   = Doubleday
  |isbn        = 9781524733100
- |ref         = harv
+ |ref         = harv}}
-}}
 {{refend}}