Homer L. Wise
Encyclopedia
Homer Lee Wise was a United States Army
soldier who received the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor
—for his actions in World War II
.
After dropping out of school and working odd jobs he joined the Army at the age of 24 and after completing training was sent to Europe during World War II to fight in the allied invasion of Italy. He continued fighting in various locations and battles throughout Europe, receiving the Medal of Honor, Silver Star, Bronze star and Purple heart for his actions in combat.
After he was discharged from the Army he worked at a local college before re-enlisting in the Army. He retired as a first sergeant in 1966. He was one of the six honorary pall bearers at the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknowns
and was a guest of the President of the United States at the inaugurations of Presidents Eisenhower, Richard Nixon
and Lyndon Johnson.
When he died in 1974 he was buried in Darien, Connecticut
.
, Wise grew up with a love of hunting and fishing. He left school after the eighth grade and worked odd jobs in Texas
. At age 24 in 1941, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in Baton Rouge.
While stationed at Camp Edwards
in 1942 on Cape Cod
in Massachusetts
, Wise met Madolyn DiSesa; the couple became engaged in January 1943 and married on February 12, 1945. DiSesa was from Stamford, Connecticut
, and for the next 30 years they lived together in Stamford, having one child, a son Jeffrey, in 1949. Jeffrey died in 1990 at age 40.
. He first entered combat on September 9 during the landings at Salerno
, Italy
, and continued to serve in the Italian Campaign
for the next year. He fought in Naples
and Rome
and, on January 7, 1944, earned the Silver Star
.
By June 14, 1944, he was serving as a staff sergeant in Company L, 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division. On that day, in Magliano
, Italy, Wise carried a wounded man to safety and repeatedly went ahead of his unit to engage the German
forces alone. It was for his actions during this battle that he was later awarded the Medal of Honor. Only four days after his Medal of Honor action, on June 18, he suffered a shrapnel wound to the head and was awarded a Purple Heart
.
Beginning in August 1944, Wise participated in the Allied invasion of southern France
. On August 16 he earned a Bronze Star and on August 22 a second Purple Heart for a bullet wound inflicted by a sniper. He was again shot by a sniper on September 22 and given a third Purple Heart for this wound. He was removed from combat in November and formally presented with the Medal of Honor by General Alexander Patch
, commander of the Seventh Army, in Épinal
, France. Among the other medals earned by Wise during the war were two foreign decorations, the Italian Croce di Guerra
and the French Croix de Guerre.
, from 1963 to 1965, and in Italy from 1965 to 1966. He retired from the military on December 21, 1966, having reached the rank of first sergeant
, and returned to Stamford.
He was one of six honorary pall bearers at the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknowns
on May 27, 1958, presided over by President Dwight D. Eisenhower
. He was also a guest of the President of the United States at the inaugurations of Presidents Eisenhower, Richard Nixon
and Lyndon Johnson.
Wise died in Stamford at age 57 of congestive heart failure
. He was buried at Saint John's Roman Catholic Cemetery in Darien, Connecticut
. His widow died in 2002.
A park at the corner of Chester and Bedford Streets in Stamford, Connecticut
is dedicated as "Homer Lee Wise Memorial Park."
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
soldier who received the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
—for his actions in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
After dropping out of school and working odd jobs he joined the Army at the age of 24 and after completing training was sent to Europe during World War II to fight in the allied invasion of Italy. He continued fighting in various locations and battles throughout Europe, receiving the Medal of Honor, Silver Star, Bronze star and Purple heart for his actions in combat.
After he was discharged from the Army he worked at a local college before re-enlisting in the Army. He retired as a first sergeant in 1966. He was one of the six honorary pall bearers at the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknowns
Tomb of the Unknowns
The Tomb of the Unknowns is a monument dedicated to American service members who have died without their remains being identified. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery in the United States...
and was a guest of the President of the United States at the inaugurations of Presidents Eisenhower, Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
and Lyndon Johnson.
When he died in 1974 he was buried in Darien, Connecticut
Darien, Connecticut
Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. A relatively small community on Connecticut's "Gold Coast", the population was 20,732 at the 2010 census. Darien was listed at #9 at CNN Money's list of "top-earning towns" in the United States as of 2011...
.
Early life and family
Born in Baton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, Wise grew up with a love of hunting and fishing. He left school after the eighth grade and worked odd jobs in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. At age 24 in 1941, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in Baton Rouge.
While stationed at Camp Edwards
Camp Edwards
Camp Edwards is a United States military training installation which is located in western Barnstable County, Massachusetts. It forms the largest part of the Massachusetts Military Reservation, which also includes Otis Air National Guard Base and Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod. It was named after...
in 1942 on Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Wise met Madolyn DiSesa; the couple became engaged in January 1943 and married on February 12, 1945. DiSesa was from Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
, and for the next 30 years they lived together in Stamford, having one child, a son Jeffrey, in 1949. Jeffrey died in 1990 at age 40.
World War II service
From April to September 1943, Wise trained with the 36th Infantry Division in North AfricaNorth Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. He first entered combat on September 9 during the landings at Salerno
Allied invasion of Italy
The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied landing on mainland Italy on September 3, 1943, by General Harold Alexander's 15th Army Group during the Second World War. The operation followed the successful invasion of Sicily during the Italian Campaign...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and continued to serve in the Italian Campaign
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
for the next year. He fought in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and, on January 7, 1944, earned the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
.
By June 14, 1944, he was serving as a staff sergeant in Company L, 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division. On that day, in Magliano
Magliano
-Municipalities :*Magliano Alfieri, in the province of Cuneo*Magliano Alpi, in the province of Cuneo*Magliano de' Marsi, in the province of Aquila*Magliano di Tenna, in the province of Ascoli Piceno*Magliano in Toscana, in the province of Grosseto...
, Italy, Wise carried a wounded man to safety and repeatedly went ahead of his unit to engage the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
forces alone. It was for his actions during this battle that he was later awarded the Medal of Honor. Only four days after his Medal of Honor action, on June 18, he suffered a shrapnel wound to the head and was awarded a Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
.
Beginning in August 1944, Wise participated in the Allied invasion of southern France
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...
. On August 16 he earned a Bronze Star and on August 22 a second Purple Heart for a bullet wound inflicted by a sniper. He was again shot by a sniper on September 22 and given a third Purple Heart for this wound. He was removed from combat in November and formally presented with the Medal of Honor by General Alexander Patch
Alexander Patch
General Alexander McCarrell "Sandy" Patch was an officer in the United States Army, best known for his service in World War II. He commanded Army and Marine forces during the invasion of Guadalcanal, and the U.S...
, commander of the Seventh Army, in Épinal
Épinal
Épinal is a commune in northeastern France and the capital of the Vosges department. Inhabitants are known as Spinaliens.-Geography:The commune has a land area of 59.24 km²...
, France. Among the other medals earned by Wise during the war were two foreign decorations, the Italian Croce di Guerra
Croce di Guerra
The Croce di Guerra al Valor Militare is an Italian decoration for military valour.- Past recipients :* Edouard Izac, Lieutenant, United States Navy* Douglas MacArthur, General, United States Army...
and the French Croix de Guerre.
Later life
On July 21, 1945, he received an honorable discharge from the Army. Wise worked in Stamford, Connecticut, until 1947, when he re-enlisted in the Army and served in various recruiting and administrative roles. He was the director of Army recruiting in Stamford through 1959, interrupted by a two-year stint in Germany from 1952 to 1954. He served in France from 1961 to 1963, at Fort Devens, MassachusettsFort Devens, Massachusetts
Devens, Massachusetts is an unincorporated village and census-designated place in the towns of Ayer and Shirley, in Middlesex County and Harvard in Worcester County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is the successor to Fort Devens, a military post that operated from 1917 to 1996. The area...
, from 1963 to 1965, and in Italy from 1965 to 1966. He retired from the military on December 21, 1966, having reached the rank of first sergeant
First Sergeant
First sergeant is the name of a military rank used in many countries, typically a senior non-commissioned officer.-Singapore:First Sergeant is a Specialist in the Singapore Armed Forces. First Sergeants are the most senior of the junior Specialists, ranking above Second Sergeants, and below Staff...
, and returned to Stamford.
He was one of six honorary pall bearers at the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknowns
Tomb of the Unknowns
The Tomb of the Unknowns is a monument dedicated to American service members who have died without their remains being identified. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery in the United States...
on May 27, 1958, presided over by President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
. He was also a guest of the President of the United States at the inaugurations of Presidents Eisenhower, Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
and Lyndon Johnson.
Wise died in Stamford at age 57 of congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
. He was buried at Saint John's Roman Catholic Cemetery in Darien, Connecticut
Darien, Connecticut
Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. A relatively small community on Connecticut's "Gold Coast", the population was 20,732 at the 2010 census. Darien was listed at #9 at CNN Money's list of "top-earning towns" in the United States as of 2011...
. His widow died in 2002.
Medal of Honor citation
Staff Sergeant Wise's official Medal of Honor citation reads:While his platoon was pinned down by enemy small-arms fire from both flanks, he left his position of comparative safety and assisted in carrying 1 of his men, who had been seriously wounded and who lay in an exposed position, to a point where he could receive medical attention. The advance of the platoon was resumed but was again stopped by enemy frontal fire. A German officer and 2 enlisted men, armed with automatic weapons, threatened the right flank. Fearlessly exposing himself, he moved to a position from which he killed all 3 with his submachinegun. Returning to his squad, he obtained an M1 rifle and several antitank grenades, then took up a position from which he delivered accurate fire on the enemy holding up the advance. As the battalion moved forward it was again stopped by enemy frontal and flanking fire. He procured an automatic rifle and, advancing ahead of his men, neutralized an enemy machinegun with his fire. When the flanking fire became more intense he ran to a nearby tank and exposing himself on the turret, restored a jammed machinegun to operating efficiency and used it so effectively that the enemy fire from an adjacent ridge was materially reduced thus permitting the battalion to occupy its objective.
Memorials
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
is dedicated as "Homer Lee Wise Memorial Park."
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II