[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 77 (Thursday, June 15, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S5946]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR RECOMMENDATION

  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I rise today to inform my colleagues of my 
request to Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to strongly recommend the 
nomination of MSG Woodrow W. Keeble for the Congressional Medal of 
Honor.
  Last week, the Secretary of the Army made a recommendation to the 
Secretary of Defense that the late MSG Woodrow W. Keeble be awarded the 
Congressional Medal of Honor. I strongly encourage and request that the 
Secretary of Defense recommend Mr. Keeble for this award and that 
action be taken quickly, particularly for the sake of Mr. Keeble's 
widow, to recommend approval to President Bush.
  Mr. Keeble was a full-blooded Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux, who fought in 
both World War II and the Korean war. He was born in Waubay, SD, and 
attended Wahpeton Indian School in North Dakota. While attending 
Wahpeton Indian School, Mr. Keeble excelled as a baseball pitcher. His 
outstanding athletic ability, for which he is remembered in the 
Wahpeton community, would later serve him well during his acts of 
bravery and courage in the Korean war.
  The brave actions that make Mr. Keeble deserving of the Congressional 
Medal of Honor occurred during Operation Nomad of the Korean war on 
October 20, 1951. During the Korean war, Mr. Keeble was assigned to 
Company G, 19th Infantry, 24th Division of the U.S. Army. He was 
charged with leading the 1st platoon of Company G as master sergeant.
  Mr. Keeble's actions on October 20, 1951, were reminiscent of 
Hollywood movies, but this was real heroism. On that date, Mr. Keeble's 
company was charged with the mission of taking and securing Hill 765, a 
steep rocky and well-defended terrain near Kumsong, Korea. As they 
began to reach their final objective, the lead platoon of Company G was 
ambushed with heavy fire from three enemy machine gun nests. The 
platoon's situation became grave as Mr. Keeble, acting platoon leader 
of a support platoon, left his position of cover and bravely made his 
way forward and joined the trapped platoon.
  It took Mr. Keeble little time to decide that immediate action had to 
be taken. He courageously crawled directly into the line of fire to 
take out the enemy machine guns. He successfully crawled up the rocky 
terrain and neutralized the first two machine gun nests by hurling 
grenades and rendering them useless. The remaining enemy machine gun 
nest brought terrific fire down upon him. Undaunted by the rain of 
concussion and fragmentation grenades, Mr. Keeble proceeded to disable 
the final enemy position. After missing the enemy with his last 
grenade, he launched a one-man assault with his M-1 rifle. By this 
time, he sustained multiple shrapnel wounds. Fearlessly, he took out 
the final machine gun position with his rifle. While awaiting the 
arrival of his fellow soldiers, he continued to singlehandedly take out 
two additional nearby trenches of enemy troops, and he effectively 
neutralized the enemy stronghold, involving a series of close combat 
struggles. Mr. Keeble's heroic actions led to the successful 
accomplishment of Company G's mission and, no doubt, saved the lives of 
many American troops.
  Those who served with Mr. Keeble twice recommended him for the 
Congressional Medal of Honor, but the recommendations were lost. The 
first was due to the regiment's move from the Korean theater, and the 
second was an inability to meet mapping requirements. However, it 
should be noted that both instances of application only required two 
signatures, but in each case, all the men in Master Sergeant Keeble's 
company signed the Congressional Medal of Honor request. Eventually, 
the deadline for the Medal of Honor consideration passed, but Mr. 
Keeble's family was granted their request in 2002 that his file be 
reopened.
  For his acts of heroism he was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze 
Star, the Silver Star, and the Distinguished Service Cross. The 
criteria for the Congressional Medal of Honor include deeds of personal 
bravery, self-sacrifice, or an action that conspicuously distinguishes 
the individual above his comrades. Should the President agree to this 
recommendation, Mr. Keeble would be the first Sioux Indian to be 
awarded the Nation's highest military honor if he is chosen to receive 
the Congressional Medal of Honor. Certainly the courageous and 
patriotic acts exhibited by Mr. Keeble during times of war make him a 
long overdue and deserving recipient of the Congressional Medal of 
Honor.
  Mr. President, I urge the Secretary of Defense to strongly recommend 
the nomination of MSG Woodrow W. Keeble for the Congressional Medal of 
Honor to the President of the United States, and I hope my colleagues 
will join me in saluting a truly brave and courageous American.

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