Evening star., 1944-04-24
Congressional Medal Winners Describe Fun
They Had in oking Care of Nozi Soldiers
Commando Kelly
And 1t. ChiIders
ok at Pentoeon

Two American soldiers, utterly diff
ferent in background and tempera-
ment, sat in a paneled Office in the
War Department today and told OF
the actions on bloody foreign battle
fields which won them both the
coveted Congressional Medal Of
Honor.
Tall, dark and taciturn was Sec
ond 1t. Ernest Childers, the 26-year-
old Creek Indian, one-fourth Irish,
from Tulsa, Okla, who wiped out
three machine gun nests in Italy.
Short, blond and jovial was Tech.
Sergt. Charles E. Kelly of Pitts
burgh, the 23-year-old Irish lad who
proved himself "one-man army" in
a fray near Altavilla, Italy.
The pair are back from the wars
on routine leave earned by service.
1t. Childers leaves tonight for Tulsa,
where he plans to look up a young
Creek Indian girl he hasn't for
gotten. Sergt. Kelly will be in
Pittsburgh tonight. There, says
Senator Guffey, Democrat, of Penn
sylvania, who attended the confer
ence, the townspeople are saying to
one another, HAS anybody here
seen Kelly?"
The two were introduced to the
press by Col. Stanley ]. Grogan,
deputy director of Army public re-
lations, who described them as two
doughboys, the fellows everything
else in the Army works for" In
addition to Senator Guffey, Repre-
sentative Scanlon, Democrat, Of
Pennsylvania was there to welcome
Sergt. Kelly, while Representative
Wickersham, Democrat, of Okla
homa assured 1t. Childers that
Tulsa was awaiting him with a
royal welcome.
Descriptions Are Picturesque.
Two phrases-rather typical of the
men-ran like pattern through
their tales of action, which account
ed for number of names In the
German casualty lists.
II took care of him"
That's how the serious, crack-shot
Indian told of dispatching the Nazis
who got in his way.
II was having a lot of fun"
So said the Irishman, as another
German went down in his tale.
1t. Childers, hesitantly and with
economy of words, began with the
landing Of the 45th Division In Sicily
last July 10 when, he said, I'VE
landed in heavy storm, which
made it a little difficult, and moved
in, slightly disorganized under COM
bat"
Took "Unclimbable" Mountain.
They took the Pescara Airport,
climbed a mountain the enemy
thought couldn't be climbed, some
times moved forward IS miles day,
walking and fighting toward
Palermo" There was place called
Bloody Knob" but 1t. Childers
didn't have muchsto say about that,
except that casualties we're heavy
and he took out five patrols, one
to draw fire, the others to knock out
machine guns and snipers.
-Four days after the first wave hit
the Salerno beaches 1t. Childers'
outfit landed in italy and moved In
about is miles to relieve another
unit. September "a, he said, was
"the date Of the hardest battle I
was ever in. We had moved in be-
hind the German lines, and about
o'clock in the morning we struck
some of their rear elements"
1t. Childers had fractured the
instep Of his right foot, and was ad-
vised to stay at the first-aid station.
But he elected to move forward be-
cause he saw some men that
figured could be helped. and could
help improve our positions"
Sniper Gets Only One Peep.
II took about eight men and
moved up the side of a hill," he re-
called. Il knew there was about
eight machine gun nests on that
hill, maybe more"
1t. Childers, then a first sergeant,
4
crawled through fairly open field,
eliminating a sniper in house-"he
peeped but once but he didn't peep
Itwice"-and, out of grenades, tossed
a rock at one of the machine gun
nests. Two Germans thinking it
was a grenade, jumped QUIT took
care of one right away, of course.
Another fellow beat me to the Sec
ond one, so I didn't get him. Sure
did want to, though"
Sergt. Kelly, who is officially cred
tied with killing 40 enemy soldiers,
was a private first class when he
went ashore at Salerno September
9 with the 36th Division.
I'VE didn't have no artillery at
the time, but the boys just pushed
,r -