Charles H. Coolidge


Charles Henry Coolidge is a former United States Army technical sergeant and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration for valor—the Medal of Honor—for his heroism in France during World War II.
Coolidge is the only living Medal of Honor recipient from the European theater of the war, and the only surviving one to receive the Medal of Honor during the war. Coolidge and Hershel W. Williams are the only living Medal of Honor recipients from World War II.

Early life

Coolidge was born in Signal Mountain, Tennessee, on August 4, 1921, the son of Walter and Grace Coolidge of Chattanooga. He graduated from Chattanooga High School in 1939, and worked at his father's printing business as a bookbinder.

World War II

Coolidge was drafted into the United States Army on June 16, 1942. He received basic training at Fort McClellan in Alabama. He was then sent to Camp Butler, North Carolina, and Camp Edwards in Massachusetts, where he was assigned to M Company, 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division. In April 1943, his unit was shipped overseas to Oran in Algeria, to participate in the North Africa Campaign. While serving as a machine gun section leader and sergeant, he was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action in Italy on May 31, 1944.
On October 24, 1944, Coolidge was a technical sergeant in charge of group of machine-gunners and rifleman of M Company who were to hold a vital hilltop position in France near the German border. During four days of attacks at Hill 623, east of Belmont-sur-Buttant in France, Coolidge and his group held off numerous enemy infantrymen, plus two tanks on October 27 using grenades; one tank unsuccessfully fired 5 separate rounds at Coolidge personally. For his actions above and beyond the call of duty during the battle, Coolidge was presented the Medal of Honor by Lieutenant General Wade H. Haislip during a ceremony at an airfield near Dornstadt, Germany.

Post-war life

Coolidge resides near Chattanooga, Tennessee, where a highway and park have been named for him. He still goes to work every day at the family business, Chattanooga Printing & Engraving, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010. His son, Charles H. Coolidge Jr., is a retired lieutenant general of the United States Air Force. On September 15, 2006, Coolidge was awarded the Legion of Honour by officials of the French consulate at a ceremony in Coolidge Park.
Coolidge was inducted into the John Sevier Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution in March 2015.

Military awards

Coolidge's military awards and decorations include:



Medal of Honor citation

Coolidge's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company M, 141th Infantry, 36th Infantry Division
Place and date: East of Belmont sur Buttant, France, 24–27 October 1944
Entered service at: Signal Mountain, Tenn.
G.O. No. 53, July 1945

Other honors