b. 16/05/1917 Waubay, South Dakota. d. 28/01/1982 Sisseton, South Dakota.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 20/10/1951 Hill 765, near Sangsan-ni, Korea.
Woodrow W Keeble MOH
Army National Guard Master Sgt. Woodrow W. Keeble was born and raised on the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation and joined the North Dakota National Guard in 1941. He was on track to becoming a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox when his unit was called into active duty. Keeble served with Company I, 164th Infantry Regiment – the first Army unit on Guadalcanal. This is where he earned the first of his four Purple Hearts, his first Bronze Star and a reputation as a ferocious fighter. The Marine units that fought with him were so impressed they submitted his name for a Navy Combat Citation.
After World War II, Keeble returned home to North Dakota to teach at the Wahpeton Indian School, which he attended as a child. He then volunteered to return to active duty in January 1951 when the 164th Infantry Regiment reactivated for the Korean War.
By mid-October, Keeble, a salty master sergeant, volunteered to take charge of three platoons after their officers and platoon leaders were wounded or killed in action. A week later, his actions to support his soldiers earned him a Distinguished Service Cross and would later earn him the Medal of Honor.
After seeing one of his platoons pinned down by enemy fire, Keeble single-handedly crawled through and overtook three fortified enemy machine gun positions with his machine gun and some grenades. The company successfully seized its objective and won the battle.
Keeble once again returned to North Dakota after the Korean War. After he lost a lung to tuberculosis, and later lost his wife to illness, he was forced to sell his medals to pay his medical bills. Despite his hardships, Keeble remained a kind-hearted, upbeat man, family and friends said. Keeble passed away in 1982, leaving behind his children Earl, Russ, and Kathryn; and his second wife, Blossom.
After a long battle to upgrade his Distinguished Service Cross, Keeble’s family was finally granted their wish. President George W. Bush passed Keeble’s Medal of Honor to his children in a ceremony on March 3, 2008, making Keeble the first member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate to earn the honor. He remains one of the most decorated soldiers in North Dakota history.
MOH CITATION:
Master Sergeant Woodrow W. Keeble distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepedity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed enemy near Sangsan-ni, Korea on 20 October 1951. On that day, Master Sergeant Keeble was an acting platoon leader for the support platoon in Company G, 19th Infantry, in the attack on Hill 765, a steep and rugged position that was well defended by the enemy. Leading the support platoon, Master Sergeant Keeble saw that the attacking elements had become pinned down on the slope by heavy enemy fire from three well-fortified and strategically placed enemy positions. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Master Sergeant Keeble dashed forward and joined the pinned-down platton. Then, hugging the ground, Master Sergeant Keeble crawled forward alone until he was in close proximity to one of the hostile machine-gun emplacements. Ignoring the heavy fire that the crew trained on him, Master Sergeant Keeble activated a grenade and threw it with great accuracy, successfully destroying the position. Continuing his one-man assault, he moved to the second enemy position and destroyed it with another grenade. Despite the fact that the enemy troops were now directing their firepower against him and unleashing a shower of grenades in a frantic attempt to stop his advance, he moved forward against the third hostile emplacement and skillfully neutralized the remaining enemy position. As his comrades moved forward to join him, Master Sergeant Keeble continued to direct accurate fire against nearby trenches, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. Inspired by his courage, Company G successfully moved forward and seized its important objective. The exraordinary courage, selfless service, and devotion to duty displayed that day by Master Sergeant Keeble was an inspiration to all around him and reflected great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
BURIAL LOCATION: LAKE TRANSVERSE INDIAN RESERVATION CEMETERY, SISSETON, SOUTH DAKOTA.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: FAMILY.
