Gallant G.I. Gets Belated Medal Of Honor

(CBS/AP)  Woodrow Wilson Keeble, a Lakota Sioux, was a gifted athlete, courted by the White Sox. But Uncle Sam won the recruitment battle, CBS News anchor Katie Couric reports.

Keeble became a highly-decorated soldier in World War Two. A buddy said, "The safest place to be was next to Woody."

When the Korean War broke out, he re-enlisted, saying, "Somebody has to teach these kids to fight."

And on an October day in 1951, he taught them the meaning of courage.

With U.S. forces pinned down, he headed up a mountain alone, taking out three enemy positions. Though badly wounded, the man known as "Chief" refused to be evacuated, and fought on - saving the lives of other soldiers.

Keeble once said, "There were times terror was so strong, I could feel idiocy replace reason." But he also said, "I never let fear make a coward of me."

Keeble died in 1982 at the age of 65.

Monday, after years of bureaucratic foul-ups and red tape, Keeble was awarded the military's highest award, posthumously.

President Bush apologized that the country waited decades to recognize Master Sgt. Keeble for his military valor in Korea, giving him the Medal of Honor more than 25 years after he died.

"On behalf of our grateful nation, I deeply regret that this tribute comes decades too late," Mr. Bush said at the White House medal ceremony. "Woody will never hold this medal in his hands or wear it on his uniform. He will never hear a president thank him for his heroism. He will never stand here to see the pride in his friends and loved ones."

But, Mr. Bush said, there are things the nation can still do for Keeble, even all these years later.

"We can tell his story and we can honor his memory and we can follow his lead," the president said before a somber East Room audience that included three rows of Keeble's family members.

Fellow soldiers, family and others have been urging Congress for years to award Keeble the medal. He had received more than 30 citations, including four Purple Hearts.

Pentagon officials had said the legal deadline had passed to award the medal to Keeble unless Congress specifically authorized it. Sens. Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad, D-N.D.; Tim Johnson, D-S.D.; and John Thune, R-S.D., did just that, introducing legislation to award Keeble the medal. It was signed by Mr. Bush last year.

Keeble, who was born in Waubay, S.D., moved to North Dakota as a child, and is the first Sioux Indian to receive the award.

Mr. Bush saluted Keeble for his military heroism, but also for his conduct in his personal life - pursing a woman he loved, becoming "an everyday hero" in his community and maintaining cheerfulness - despite his own grief and physical suffering.

The wounds he suffered in Korea would "haunt him the rest of his life," and strokes paralyzed his right side and took away his ability to speak.

The four Dakotas' senators say Keeble's men twice recommended him for the Medal of Honor earlier but the paperwork was lost. He instead received the Distinguished Service Cross.

"He felt he was cheated," Mr. Bush said. "Yet Woody never complained. See, he believed America was the greatest nation on earth - even when it made mistakes."

[sgtrds]

akrobynhood

Your post is complete bullsh*it. Clinton never ran anywhere, least of all to Canada. He went to England to study because he was awarded a Rhodes Scholorship, which is a very high honor (one the moron Bush certainly never had to worry about getting). When he came back from England he re-registered for the draft, but drew a high lottery number so he wasn''t called. While gutless Bush of course was shoved to the front of the line for the Texas ANG which at the time was a country club for the rich and well connected to make sure they never had to go to Vietnam. Then he skipped a flight physical because of the cocaine in his sytem and went AWOL.

[akrobynhood]

It just makes me sick to read these posts about Bush being the coward. It seems that people have forgotten that Clinton ran away when he was asked to defend his country. He went to "safe haven" Canada. Clinton should have been treated as a deserter and a traitor and then imprisoned like one. Bush does have his faults, and I do not agree with all of them,however, he doesn''t back done from a fight. The U.S. needs to bomb the sh*t out of the middle east and be done with it. It worked with Japan.

[sgtrds]

He handled both as best as any president could have and much better then most would have. With the fuel crisis (which was a direct descendant of Nixon)he pushed America toward much need environmental conservation and reform by creating the Department of Energy. With the hostage crisis he mounted a rescue mission that failed because the Army was still geared toward jungle warfare of Vietnam. Still he stood tall and took personal responsibility for it. A class move that Reagan and Bush have never done.

[crusherking]

Maybe they would have happened regardless of who was president but my issue is how he handled them. HE DIDN''T. OH well. Thats your opinion. Just wanted to double check.

[sgtrds]

DO you really think Carter was a great president? How about the gas crunch or the Iran hostage crisis just to name 2.

Posted by crusherking at 04:42 PM : Mar 04, 2008

He is far and away the single most under-rated president of the modern era. His strides toward peace in the Middle-East and human rights around the globe will go down in history above and beyond some of the unfortunate things that happened beyond his control during his administration. The gas crisis and the hostage crisis would have happened at that point in history no matter who was president.

[crusherking]

Carter was a great president? My oh My.. He is listed as one of the 5 worst presidents in HISTORY.. Probably the worst in the 20th century. I certainly am not claiming Bush is one of our greatest presidents. DO you really think Carter was a great president? How about the gas crunch or the Iran hostage crisis just to name 2.

[sgtrds]

I have no problem with anyone talking about Carter or Clinton during my service. They were great presidents, unlike the piece of sh*it in the White House now. Besides it''s not like I''ll be around to hear my service anyway.

[crusherking]

Well Sgt, I hope that someday someone stands at your funeral and decides to say " Well sgt you were an ok guy and I respect you, Now what I really hate are Democrats. I''m sorry you had to live through the Carter years. I''m sorry about Bill Clinton." So you see how that is not respect at all. Its sad that you can''t see the obvious. Any first year psych student can recognize what you were really doing is DISrespecting him. Sure you said you respect him, but your actions speak louder than your words.

[sgtrds]

Nope as*shole, the real shame is that you keep trying to twist this around into me disrespecting this hero, instead of what you know the truth to be that it''s the moron Bush that I''m disrespecting. Just as he disrespects every hero he awards any medal too by his very presence. A craven coward like Bush doesn''t deserve to speak any hero''s name.

[crusherking]

Nope don''t like it. The real shame is that they allow anti american hate mongers such as yourself on here to besmirch the name of a man who died fighting for our country just so that you can propagate more hatred. Thats the real shame.