World War II Remembered

Truman Kimbro

Branch of Service: U.S. Army
Rank: Technician 4th Grade
Hometown: Madisonville, TX
Honored By: Mike W. Reeser

Truman Kimbro
U.S. Army Medal of Honor

Biography

Truman Kimbro was born in Madisonville, Texas, to Mr. and Mrs. Tom Kimbro. He joined the Army in Houston and after training was assigned as a scout to Company C, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. By 1944, Kimbro was a Technician Fourth Grade.

On December 19, 1944, Kimbro's unit was assigned to mine an important crossroads near Rocherath, Belgium. Kimbro found the crossroads occupied by an enemy tank and 20 infantrymen. After making two attempts to reach his objective and forced to withdraw each time, Kimbro hid his squad and decided to mine the road alone.

He was severely wounded while crawling towards the crossroads, but continued to lay his mines. His objective complete, Kimbro attempted to crawl away, but was killed by enemy machine gun fire. The mines he laid helped prevent an enemy attack on withdrawing American columns and for his actions that night Kimbro was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

In 1944 the USNS Sgt. Kimbro, a Victory ship, was launched. Kimbro is buried at the American Battlefields Monument Cemetery at Chapelle, Belgium.

Citation for Medal of Honor:

On Dec.19, 1944, as a scout, he led a squad assigned to the mission of mining a vital crossroads near Rocherath, Belgium. At the first attempt to reach the objective, he discovered it was occupied by an enemy tank and at least 20 infantrymen. Driven back by whithering fire, Technician 4th Grade Kimbro made 2 more attempts to lead his squad to the crossroads, but all approaches were covered in intense enemy fire. Although warned by our own infantrymen of the great danger involved, he left his squad in a protected place and, laden with mines, he crawled alone to the crossroads. He was severely wounded while nearing his objective, but he continued to drag himself forward and laid his mines across the road. As he tried to crawl from the objective his body riddled with machine gun fire, the mines laid by his act of indomitable courage delayed the advance of enemy armor and prevented the rear of our withdrawing columns from being attacked by the enemy.


 

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