Robert Dale Maxwell (October 26, 1920 – May 11, 2019) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

combat soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration for valor—the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

—for his heroism in France during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Early life

Maxwell was born on October 26, 1920, in Boise, Idaho. He was raised by his grandparents on their farm in

Quinter, Kansas Quinter is a city in Gove County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 929. History The city of Quinter is built at the location of an old railroad switching site called Melota. A town named Familton ...

. He dropped out of school in the seventh grade to help his family on their farm. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, his family traveled to

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

to pick fruit, but ran out of money on the way back to Kansas so they settled in Colorado.Lerten, Barney
"Robert Maxwell, oldest Medal of Honor recipient, dies in Bend at 98"
''KTVZ Channel 21 News'', Bend, Oregon, 13 May 2019.Warner, Gary A.
"Bend’s Bob Maxwell, nation’s oldest Medal of Honor recipient, dies"
''The Bulletin'', Bend, Oregon, 13 May 2019.Warmer, Gary A., "Nation’s Oldest Medal of Honor Recipient Dies," ''The Bulletin'', Bend, Oregon, 14 May 2019, pp. A1, A7.

Military service

Maxwell was drafted into the

and entered service from

Larimer County, Colorado Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359,066. The county seat and most populous city is Fort Collins. The county was named for William Larimer, Jr., the founder of Denver. ...

, in June 1941. He was offered and refused "

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

" status by the army for being a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

. He received basic training at Camp Roberts, California and training in advanced infantry tactics at

Camp Meade Camp George G. Meade near Middletown, Pennsylvania, was a camp established and subsequently abandoned by the U.S. Volunteers during the Spanish–American War. History Camp Meade was established August 24, 1898, and soon thereafter was occupi ...

in Maryland. In February 1942, Maxwell was sent overseas and landed in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. He was assigned to Headquarters Company as a battalion communications technician, a "wire man." He carried a heavy roll of cable and was tasked with stringing phone lines to the command post. He began the war armed with a

M1 Garand The M1 Garand or M1 rifleOfficially designated as U.S. rifle, caliber .30, M1, later simply called Rifle, Caliber .30, M1, also called US Rifle, Cal. .30, M1 is a semi-automatic rifle that was the service rifle of the U.S Army during World War ...

rifle, but was later reclassified as a non-combatant and carried only a

.45 caliber This is a list of firearm cartridges which have bullets in the to caliber range. *''Length'' refers to the cartridge case Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods) A case of some merchandise Merchandising is any practic ...

pistol. After participating in the North African Campaign with his unit, Maxwell took part in the Allied invasion of Sicily on July 10, 1943, marching to

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

, and on to

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...

. The 7th Infantry then landed at

Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

in September shortly after the Allied invasion of mainland Italy and fought northwards to an area near

Cassino Cassino () is a ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Southern Italy, at the southern end of the region of Lazio, the last city of the Latin Valley. Cassino is located at the foot of Monte Cairo near the confluence of the Gari and Liri rive ...

. During the early stages of the subsequent

Battle of Anzio The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The op ...

in January 1944, Private First Class Maxwell repaired damaged wire lines to maintain communication under intense artillery fire for over three hours on January 31 and was wounded in the leg. For his actions under fire that day, he was awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

. He spent the next few months recovering at a hospital in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. Maxwell rejoined his unit in time for the invasion of southern France (

Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil) was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15August 1944. Despite initially designed to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, th ...

) in August 1944 and the following advance inland. On September 7, near Besançon in eastern France, Technician Fifth Grade (Corporal) Maxwell, while under enemy fire, risked his life in order to protect the lives of other soldiers by falling on an enemy

hand grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...

and absorbing the blast with his body. He survived the wounds from the grenade blast and was awarded the

on April 6, 1945. The medal was presented to him by Major General Clarence Danielson at the

Camp Carson Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano counties, Colorado, United States. The developed portion of Fort Carson is located near the City of Colorado Springs i ...

Convalescent Hospital in Colorado on May 12. He also received an oak leaf cluster to his Silver Star, which was awarded for an earlier action on September 7, 1944.

Post-war

After the war, Maxwell enrolled in

vocational school A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...

for two years in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

to be an auto mechanic. After his training, he worked a two-year

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners ...

for an

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produ ...

car dealership in Redmond, Oregon. During this time, he met Beatrice, and they married on August 12, 1951. He then taught auto mechanics at

Bend High School Bend Senior High School is the oldest high school located in Bend, Oregon, United States. The school opened , in 1904, but did not graduate its first class of seniors (three students) until 1909. Old Bend High School, the original building, was l ...

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U.S ...

and later helped establish an auto mechanics program at

Central Oregon Community College Central Oregon Community College is a community college in Bend, Oregon. It primarily serves residents of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook Counties. Additionally its district includes portions of Klamath, Lake, and Wasco counties. History Cent ...

. From 1966 through 1986, Maxwell taught auto mechanics at Lane Community College in Eugene. He was honored in 1970 as one of 5,000 outstanding educators. In 2011, at the age of 90, he received his high school diploma from Bend Senior High School. In 2012, Maxwell suffered a minor stroke, but recovered after only a few days with only minor loss of functionality of his right hand. He continued as the director of the non-profit Bend Heroes Foundation. After retiring, Maxwell resided in Bend, Oregon until his death. He died in Bend on May 11, 2019, at the age of 98. At the time of his death, he was the only Medal of Honor recipient residing in Oregon.Maxwell’s memorial service was held on May 31, 2019. So, many people were expected to attend that the service was held at the Deschutes County fairgrounds in Redmond, a few miles north of Bend. A local television station broadcast the memorial service live for those who could not attend the memorial service in person. Maxwell was buried in Pioneer Cemetery in

Terrebonne, Oregon Terrebonne is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,257 at the 2010 census. Geography Terreb ...

Military awards

Maxwell's military awards and decorations include:

Medal of Honor citation

Maxwell's official Medal of Honor citation reads: Rank and organization: Technician Fifth Grade, U.S. Army, 7th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division
Place and date: Near Besançon, France, 7 September 1944
Entered service at: Larimer County, Colo.
G.O. No. 24, 6 April 1945

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 7 September 1944, near Besancon, France. Technician 5th Grade Maxwell and 3 other soldiers, armed only with .45 caliber automatic pistols, defended the battalion observation post against an overwhelming onslaught by enemy infantrymen in approximately platoon strength, supported by 20mm. flak and machinegun fire, who had infiltrated through the battalion's forward companies and were attacking the observation post with machinegun, machine pistol, and grenade fire at ranges as close as 10 yards. Despite a hail of fire from automatic weapons and grenade launchers, Technician 5th Grade Maxwell aggressively fought off advancing enemy elements and, by his calmness, tenacity, and fortitude, inspired his fellows to continue the unequal struggle. When an enemy hand grenade was thrown in the midst of his squad, Technician 5th Grade Maxwell unhesitatingly hurled himself squarely upon it, using his blanket and his unprotected body to absorb the full force of the explosion. This act of instantaneous heroism permanently maimed Technician 5th Grade Maxwell, but saved the lives of his comrades in arms and facilitated maintenance of vital military communications during the temporary withdrawal of the battalion's forward headquarters.

Namings and honors

* In 1984, a modern bridge was built on the

Deschutes River Deschutes River may refer to: *Deschutes River (Oregon) The Deschutes River in central Oregon is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The river provides much of the drainage on the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, gathering many ...

upstream from the narrow wooden ''General Patch Bridge'', which was built during World War II in Bend, Oregon. On 11 September 2004, the modern bridge was named the ''Robert D. Maxwell Veterans Memorial Bridge'' to honor Maxwell. Patch who commanded the

U.S. Seventh Army The Seventh Army was a United States army created during World War II that evolved into the United States Army Europe (USAREUR) during the 1950s and 1960s. It served in North Africa and Italy in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and Fran ...

during World War II, had recommended Maxwell for the Medal of Honor. * In 2012, Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, named its student veterans center after Maxwell. * In November 2013, Maxwell's photo was one of 12 photos of service uniformed Medal of Honor recipients on the cover sheet of a U.S. Postal Service "World War II Medal of Honor Forever Stamp" packet of 20 Medal of Honor stamps. His photograph is the last one located on the sheet.

References

External links

*
CNN iReport Interview
*
Interview
at the

Pritzker Military Museum & Library The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (formerly Pritzker Military Library) is a non-profit museum and a research library for the study of military history on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The institution was founded in 2003, and its spe ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, Robert D. 1920 births 2019 deaths People from Bend, Oregon People from Boise, Idaho People from Quinter, Kansas Educators from Oregon Military personnel from Idaho United States Army non-commissioned officers United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army Medal of Honor recipients World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor