Charles H. Coolidge

Early life

Coolidge was born in Signal Mountain, Tennessee, on August 4, 1921, the son of Walter and Grace (McCracken) Coolidge. He graduated from Chattanooga High School in 1939, and worked at his father's printing business (Chattanooga Printing & Engraving) 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 Butner, North Carolina and Camp Edwards in Massachusetts, where he was assigned to M Company, 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th "Texas" Infantry Division. In April 1943, his unit was shipped overseas to Oran in Algeria, and in September took part in the Salerno landings and then continued to fight in the first half of the Italian 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, shortly before the capture of Rome.

On October 24, 1944, Coolidge was a technical sergeant in charge of a group of machine-gunners and riflemen 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 the Vosges Mountains in France, Coolidge and his group held off numerous enemy infantrymen, plus two tanks on October 27 using grenades. One tank unsuccessfully fired five separate rounds directly at Coolidge. 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 on June 18, 1945.

Post-war life

Coolidge resided near Chattanooga, Tennessee, where a highway and park have been named for him. For many years after the war, Coolidge went 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 (named in 1945).

Coolidge was inducted into the John Sevier Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution in March 2015.

He was conferred with the George Marshall Award in March 2021, several weeks before his death.

Personal life

Coolidge married Frances Seepe in 1945. They remained married for 64 years until her death in 2009. They had three children: Charles, William (Bill), and John.

Coolidge died on April 6, 2021, in Chattanooga at the age of 99. He had suffered from multiple sclerosis in the final 50+ years of his life. He was interred at Chattanooga National Cemetery beside his wife.

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, 141st Infantry, 36th Infantry Division

Place and date: East of Belmont sur Buttant, France, October 24–27, 1944

Entered service at: Signal Mountain, Tenn.

G.O. No. 53, July 1945

Leading a section of heavy machineguns supported by 1 platoon of Company K, he took a position near Hill 623, east of Belmont sur Buttant, France, on October 24, 1944, with the mission of covering the right flank of the 3d Battalion and supporting its action. T/Sgt. Coolidge went forward with a [Sergeant#United States

Sergeant]] of Company K to [[Reconnaissance

Other honors

• Upon his return from WWII, the mayor of Chattanooga, TN declared August 8, 1945 as "Coolidge Day."
• On 3 May, 2013, Coolidge was awarded the Legion of Honor Life-Saving Medallion by The Chapel of Four Chaplains in recognition of having "saved the life of another at grave personal risk."
• In November 2013, Coolidge's was the first one of 12 [portraits of Medal of Honor recipients on the cover sheet of a United States Postal Service "World War II Medal of Honor Forever Stamp" packet of 20 Medal of Honor stamps.
• The Charles H. Coolidge Medal of Honor Heritage Center in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, was named in his honor. It opened to the public in February 2020.
• Coolidge Park, located in downtown Chattanooga on the northshore waterfront, was named in his honor. The park features a restored 1894 Dentzel carousel, a pavilion, an interactive play fountain, the Outdoor Chattanooga Center and much open space. It is a popular destination for concerts, outdoor film screenings, festivals and special events.
• A nine-mile portion of U.S. Route 27 (Tennessee Route 29) in Hamilton County, Tennessee was renamed the Charles H. Coolidge Medal of Honor Highway and was dedicated in his honor on April 10, 1989.

References

References

1. Lange, Katie. (March 4, 2019). "Medal of Honor Monday: Marine Corps Cpl. Hershel Williams". United States Department of Defense.
2. Goldstein, Richard. (April 7, 2021). "Charles Coolidge, Oldest Medal of Honor Recipient, Dies at 99". [[The New York Times]].
3. "NARA – AAD – Display Full Records – Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938–1946 (Enlistment Records)".
4. "Silver Star".
5. (April 7, 2021). "Chattanoogan Charles Coolidge, the nation's oldest Medal of Honor recipient, dies at 99". Chattanooga Times Free Press.
6. "Chattanooga Printing & Engraving – Ink on Paper for Over 100 Years".
7. "September 15, 2006: France Honors WWII Veteran in Chattanooga". Consulate General of France and French Trade Commission in Atlanta.
8. "MOH Recipient Charles H. Collidge Is Inducted into the SAR by President General Lindsey C. Brock". SAR.
9. (March 19, 2021). "Chattanooga WWII hero Charles Coolidge receives National George Marshall Award". WTVC.
10. "Local World War II veteran & Medal of Honor recipient Charles H. Coolidge dies at 99".
11. "141st Infantry Regiment (First Texas)- Lineage and Honors Information - U.S. Army Center of Military History".
12. (June 8, 2009). "Medal of Honor recipients – World War II (A-F)". [[United States Army Center of Military History]].
13. Messing, Philip. (November 11, 2013). "WWII hero assigned to new 'post'".