Robert Thomas Edlin
Encyclopedia
Robert Thomas Edlin was awarded the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor
by the Texas Legislature
for his actions during battle in World War II
. House Concurrent Resolution No. 112 conferring the honor was adopted by both the House & Senate and approved by Governor Rick Perry in March 2005. The below text was extracted from the resolution.
On D-Day
, June 6, 1944, Lieutenant Edlin helped to lead Company A onto Omaha Beach, receiving debilitating wounds in both legs; evacuated to England the following day, he rejoined his platoon in France on July 15, 1944.
During the late summer of 1944, the 2nd Ranger Battalion
was assigned to support the American advance in Britanny; on September 9, preceding a dawn attack on the antiaircraft Graf Spee, or Lochrist, battery near the French city of Brest, Lieutenant Edlin was ordered to lead a four-man reconnaissance
patrol to spot enemy pillboxes and snipers and chart a way through the minefield surrounding the garrison, the capture of which was critical in the effort to retake the port city.
The patrol navigated a large minefield and encountered a German pillbox, where Lieutenant Edlin captured the officer in charge; Lieutenant Edlin then forced the officer to escort him and his interpreter to the commanding officer of the Graf Spee battery. On entering the commander's office, Lieutenant Edlin took a grenade, pulled the pin, and held the grenade to the commander's stomach, forcing him to surrender the fort, along with four 280-mm guns, supporting small-arms positions, pillboxes, and approximately 800 enemy soldiers.
Recommended by Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder
, commander of the 2nd Ranger Battalion
, to receive the Medal of Honor, Lieutenant Edlin refused to accept the medal in order to avoid being reassigned to a unit within the continental United States.
Lieutenant Edlin was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
for his extraordinary heroism in battle, and in 1995 he was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame; a book recounting his remarkable military service was published in 2002.
Texas Legislative Medal of Honor
The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration that may be awarded to a member of the Texas Military Forces. This includes Air National Guard, Army National Guard, and State Guard...
by the Texas Legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
for his actions during battle 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...
. House Concurrent Resolution No. 112 conferring the honor was adopted by both the House & Senate and approved by Governor Rick Perry in March 2005. The below text was extracted from the resolution.
On D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
, June 6, 1944, Lieutenant Edlin helped to lead Company A onto Omaha Beach, receiving debilitating wounds in both legs; evacuated to England the following day, he rejoined his platoon in France on July 15, 1944.
During the late summer of 1944, the 2nd Ranger Battalion
2nd Ranger Battalion
2nd Ranger Battalion is the name of two distinct units of United States Army Rangers. The first was part of the six Ranger battalions of the Second World War...
was assigned to support the American advance in Britanny; on September 9, preceding a dawn attack on the antiaircraft Graf Spee, or Lochrist, battery near the French city of Brest, Lieutenant Edlin was ordered to lead a four-man reconnaissance
patrol to spot enemy pillboxes and snipers and chart a way through the minefield surrounding the garrison, the capture of which was critical in the effort to retake the port city.
The patrol navigated a large minefield and encountered a German pillbox, where Lieutenant Edlin captured the officer in charge; Lieutenant Edlin then forced the officer to escort him and his interpreter to the commanding officer of the Graf Spee battery. On entering the commander's office, Lieutenant Edlin took a grenade, pulled the pin, and held the grenade to the commander's stomach, forcing him to surrender the fort, along with four 280-mm guns, supporting small-arms positions, pillboxes, and approximately 800 enemy soldiers.
Recommended by Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder
James Earl Rudder
James Earl Rudder was a United States Army Major General, Texas Land Commissioner, and President of Texas A&M University.-Early life:...
, commander of the 2nd Ranger Battalion
2nd Ranger Battalion
2nd Ranger Battalion is the name of two distinct units of United States Army Rangers. The first was part of the six Ranger battalions of the Second World War...
, to receive the Medal of Honor, Lieutenant Edlin refused to accept the medal in order to avoid being reassigned to a unit within the continental United States.
Lieutenant Edlin was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
for his extraordinary heroism in battle, and in 1995 he was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame; a book recounting his remarkable military service was published in 2002.
External links
- House Concurrent Resolution No. 112
- Rudder's Ranger Turned Author, Aggie Daily, April 4, 2002