Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-01-06

service entitle him to retirement Also the mill
tary authorities have practically picked him as
the greatest fighting man of the A. E. f. SO it
would seem as if America could do no less than
this for her "hero of heroes"-a Regular" of
the United States army and professional soldier.
Anyway, Senator Richard p. Ernst of Kentucky
has introduced such bill in the senate And
Representative Roy O. Woodruff of Michigan has
done the same in the house.
Representative John s. Benham of Indiana
started the movement in the house. You see he
was proud as a peacock because Sergeant Wood
fill enlisted in 1901 from his district-the fourth
Benham had the clerk read a paragraph from
General Order No. 16, bearing date of January
%, 1915 and signed by Gen. Peyton O. March.
chief of staff-Leutenant Woodflps citation ac-
companying his award of the Congressional Medal
of Honor.
Benham also put into the Congressional Record
Woodilrs army record in full from his enlistment
in 1901.
Then Woodruff of Michigan, who was major
of infantry in France and at one time after the
armistice was WoodflTs commanding officer. was
given the floor. AS preliminary to giving notice
that he would introduce the bill mentioned in
the foregoing he set forth his rst-hand knowledge
of WoOdfill's efficiency lieutenant in the Bor-
deaux embarkation camp and related how he re-
turned from receiving the Congressional Medal of
Honor at Chaumont without opening his mouth
about it. Excellent" behavior efficiency and mod
esty bulk large in WeodfIs makeup.
The presentation at Chaumont took place on
the quadrangle British g. H @. on Sunday at 80
before a large crowd of American, British, French,
Belgian and italian officers Headquarters bat
TALON acted as guard of honor. Woodfll received
other awards in addition to the Congressional
Medal of Honor He received the Legion of HonoE
at the hands Of the high admiral of the French
navy and Maj. Gen. Hanson e. Ely presented to
him the Crox de Guerre. with palm). Later he
was awarded the Legion of Honor and the, Order
of Prince Danflo I (Montenegro). He also wears
the Victory Medal with three clasps the Philippine
and Mexican border ribbons and an expert rife
mans medal.
Notwithstanding WoodflIs exploit and his cita-
lions he remained undiscovered as the "hero of
heroes" And WoodfIl certainly didn't help along
the discovery. When he went to Louisville with
returning troops in the summer of 1919, real SOL
der and real hero at last after all the event
full years that had passed since he enlisted there
in 1901 there were thousands hungry for such
tale of the war that Woodfll held in his BOSOM
But Woodfu didn't tell It, He went quietly about
his work and returned to his command. When
he was discharged as an officer, he kept to the
habit he had followed from his Philippine days.
He re-enlisted at about $84 a month
Then came the preparations for the burial of
the unknown soldier" at Washington Armis-
tice day.
The board of army officers searching the rec
ords for the purpose of selecting a soldier from
the HIahIy 10 act 40 d O0uy -p0"lol Aol Ine ull-
known dead picked Sergeant Woodill. When the
name was sent to Pershing, the commander of the
A. r. F. excIaimed "Why, have already picked
that man as the greatest single hero in the Amer-
can forces"
General Pershing's report on the heroes and sol
u3ers in the World war contains this mention of
yyoodfiIls deed given the place of honor over two
cases of distinguished herosm which already have
received Americas recognition:
.Deeds Of valOr were too numerous to mention
here. Outstanding was the heroism of Lieutenant
Samuel Woodfill, Fifth division in attacking single
handed series of German machine gun nests near
Cunel and killing the crews of each in turn until
reduced to the necessity of assaultng the last de-
tachment with pick dispatching them all. And