| Pascal Poolaw | |
|---|---|
 Poolaw during the Korean War | |
| Birth name |
Pascal Cleatus Poolaw Template:Labeldata |
| Born | January 29, 1922 |
| Died | November 7, 1967 (aged 45) |
| Place of birth | Apache, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Place of death | near Loc Ninh, South Vietnam |
| Buried at | Fort Sill National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1967 |
| Rank | First lieutenant |
| Service number | 18131087 |
| Unit | |
| 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 four Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars, as well as three Purple Hearts – one for each war.[1]
Early life[]
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[]
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. Poolaw's 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. Poolaw's 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.
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[]
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[]
Poolaw was the recipient of the following military decorations and service medals:[6]
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| 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[]
- ↑ "Pascal C. Poolaw Sr.". https://www.army.mil/americanindians/poolaw.html. Retrieved 2018-12-08. "Most decorated American Indian Soldier"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Meadows 2012, p. 74.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Hall of Valor 2010.
- ↑ Ward & Burns 2017, p. 244.
- ↑ "Kiowa citizen Pascal Cleatus Poolaw considered most decorated Indian soldier". 2017-11-07. https://www.indianz.com/News/2017/11/07/kiowa-citizen-pascal-cleatus-poolaw-cons.asp. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
- ↑ Struzinski 2012, p. 9.
Sources[]
- Meadows, W. (2012). Kiowa Military Societies: Ethnohistory and Ritual. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 9780806186023.
- "Pascal Cleatus Poolaw". Military Times. Sightline Media Group. 2010-03-12. https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/24655. Retrieved 2018-12-09.
- "Poolaw, Pascal Cleatus, Sr., 1SG". 2010-12-21. https://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=SBVTimeLine&type=Person&ID=7995. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
- Struzinski, F. (2012). "The Soldiers of Srok Rung". Trenton: Society of the First Infantry Division. OCLC 11274165. https://legacy.1stid.org/bhs/2012Fall.pdf.
- Ward, G.; Burns, K. (2017). The Vietnam War: An Intimate History. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 9781524733100.
External links[]
- Pascal Cleatus Poolaw at Find a Grave
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Army document "Pascal C. Poolaw Sr.".
The original article can be found at Pascal Poolaw and the edit history here.