thedrifter
10-24-06, 02:00 PM
The lore of the Corps
Medal of Honor recipient served in two world wars
By Keith A. Milks
Special to the Times
During World War II, the Marine Corps' general officer and senior enlisted ranks were full of men who had cut their teeth during World War I and the "Banana Wars" in the Caribbean and Central America.
One of them - Brig. Gen. Roswell Winans - rose through the ranks and received the Medal of Honor, two Silver Stars, the Purple Heart and the French Croix de Guerre with palm.
Born Dec. 9, 1887, in Brookville, Ind., Winans enlisted in the Army in 1908. In 1912, he hung up his Army uniform and joined the Marine Corps.
After four years that included combat service in Mexico and Haiti, Winans - by then a first sergeant - deployed to the Dominican Republic as part of a Marine force sent to counter a left-wing insurgency.
In late June 1916, Marine forces landed at points throughout the country and rapidly converged on the rebel stronghold at Santiago. A series of pitched battles slowed the Marines' advance, and on July 3, elements of 4th Marines ran into rebel forces near the village of Guayacanes.
When the lead Marine elements were stopped by heavy enemy fire that killed one leatherneck and wounded nine others, Winans sprang into action. Racing forward with a Colt machine gun, he set it up and began raining fire onto the entrenched rebel forces.
Even as enemy fire slammed into the logs and trees around him, Winans maintained his exposed position with the slain and wounded Marines lying within feet of him. At one point, Winans was the only source of Marine fire, and when his gun jammed, he coolly cleared the weapon and resumed firing.
In the face of Winans' punishing fire, the rebels fled the battlefield, and the Marines' advance continued. For his actions that day in the Dominican jungle, Winans was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Winans remained in the Dominican Republic for several months and returned to the U.S. to be commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to 5th Marines as the U.S. prepared to enter World War I.
Sent to France in spring 1918, Winans was given command of the regiment's 17th Company and promoted to captain before the June assault on Belleau Wood.
On June 15, after nine days of heavy fighting, Winans and his men gained a foothold in the western woods and broke a long stalemate with the Germans. For his actions at Belleau Wood, Winans was awarded a Silver Star.
Winans' post-WWI years were far more peaceful than his early years in the Corps, but he still found himself in harm's way during the Second Nicaraguan Campaign and in China before the outbreak of World War II.
A colonel when World War II began, he served in staff billets for the duration of the war. On Aug. 1, 1946, he was promoted to brig-adier general and left active duty after more than 38 years of military service.
He died at Naval Hospital San Diego on April 7, 1968, at the age of 80.
Medal of Honor recipient served in two world wars
By Keith A. Milks
Special to the Times
During World War II, the Marine Corps' general officer and senior enlisted ranks were full of men who had cut their teeth during World War I and the "Banana Wars" in the Caribbean and Central America.
One of them - Brig. Gen. Roswell Winans - rose through the ranks and received the Medal of Honor, two Silver Stars, the Purple Heart and the French Croix de Guerre with palm.
Born Dec. 9, 1887, in Brookville, Ind., Winans enlisted in the Army in 1908. In 1912, he hung up his Army uniform and joined the Marine Corps.
After four years that included combat service in Mexico and Haiti, Winans - by then a first sergeant - deployed to the Dominican Republic as part of a Marine force sent to counter a left-wing insurgency.
In late June 1916, Marine forces landed at points throughout the country and rapidly converged on the rebel stronghold at Santiago. A series of pitched battles slowed the Marines' advance, and on July 3, elements of 4th Marines ran into rebel forces near the village of Guayacanes.
When the lead Marine elements were stopped by heavy enemy fire that killed one leatherneck and wounded nine others, Winans sprang into action. Racing forward with a Colt machine gun, he set it up and began raining fire onto the entrenched rebel forces.
Even as enemy fire slammed into the logs and trees around him, Winans maintained his exposed position with the slain and wounded Marines lying within feet of him. At one point, Winans was the only source of Marine fire, and when his gun jammed, he coolly cleared the weapon and resumed firing.
In the face of Winans' punishing fire, the rebels fled the battlefield, and the Marines' advance continued. For his actions that day in the Dominican jungle, Winans was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Winans remained in the Dominican Republic for several months and returned to the U.S. to be commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to 5th Marines as the U.S. prepared to enter World War I.
Sent to France in spring 1918, Winans was given command of the regiment's 17th Company and promoted to captain before the June assault on Belleau Wood.
On June 15, after nine days of heavy fighting, Winans and his men gained a foothold in the western woods and broke a long stalemate with the Germans. For his actions at Belleau Wood, Winans was awarded a Silver Star.
Winans' post-WWI years were far more peaceful than his early years in the Corps, but he still found himself in harm's way during the Second Nicaraguan Campaign and in China before the outbreak of World War II.
A colonel when World War II began, he served in staff billets for the duration of the war. On Aug. 1, 1946, he was promoted to brig-adier general and left active duty after more than 38 years of military service.
He died at Naval Hospital San Diego on April 7, 1968, at the age of 80.