John R. Fox

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John Robert Fox
December 7, 1917 - December 26, 1944
  
John Fox, posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1997 for actions during World War II
Place of birth Cincinnati, Ohio
Place of death KIA in Sommocolonia, Italy
Allegiance U.S. Army
Years of service 1940-1944
Rank First Lieutenant
Unit 366th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Medal of Honor
Distinguished Service Cross
Bronze Star
Purple Heart

John Robert Fox (7 December 1917 - 26 December 1944) was killed in action by friendly fire in northern Italy during World War II. He was belatedly awarded the Medal of Honor in 1997[1].

The 92nd Infantry Division (colored), known as the Buffalo Soldiers, is an African-American division that fought in World War II. One of this division’s soldiers, First Lieutenant John R. Fox of the 366th Infantry, made the ultimate sacrifice in order to defeat the enemy and save the lives of his fellow soldiers. In December 1944, Fox was part of a small forward observer party that volunteered to stay behind in the Italian village of Sommocolonia.[2][3] American forces had been forced to withdraw from the village after it had been overrun by the enemy. From his position on the second floor of a house, Fox directed defensive artillery fire.

The enemy was in the streets and attacking in strength, greatly outnumbering the small group of American soldiers. Fox radioed in to have the artillery fire adjusted closer to his position, then radioed again to have the shelling moved even closer. The soldier receiving the message was stunned, for that would bring the deadly fire right on top of Fox’s position; there was no way he would survive. When Fox was told this, he replied, “Fire it.” This shelling delayed the enemy advance until other units could reorganize to repel the attack.

His action permitted U.S. forces, who had been forced to withdraw, to organize a counterattack and regain control of the village. After the units had retaken the village, they found Fox’s body along with the bodies of about one hundred enemy soldiers.

For his "gallant and courageous actions, at the supreme sacrifice of his own life,"[4] Fox was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. His widow, the former Arlene Marrow of Brockton, Massachusetts, received his medal from President Bill Clinton in a White House ceremony on January 13, 1997[5]. On that day, Clinton also awarded the medal to six other previously neglected African American World War II veterans, including Vernon Baker, the only one of the seven still living[6].

Fox was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and attended Wilberforce University, graduating with an ROTC commission of Second Lieutenant in 1940. He was 27 years old when he called artillery fire on his own position the day after Christmas in 1944, for which he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 1982[7]. More than fifty years after his death, Fox was awarded the Medal of Honor. He is buried in Colebrook Cemetery in Whitman, Massachusetts.

In 2005, the toy company Hasbro introduced a 12-inch action figure "commemorating Lt. John R. Fox as part of its G.I. Joe Medal-of-Honor series."[8]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Elliott V. Converse III (1997). The Exclusion of Black Soldiers from the Medal of Honor in World War II. McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-7864-0277-6.
  2. ^ Frank Viviano (July 13, 2000). Almost-Forgotten Heroes: Italian town honors black GIs who were shunned by their own country. San Francisco Chronicle.
  3. ^ Frank Viviano. Sommocolonia, Barga, Italy. www.barganews.com.
  4. ^ www.army.mil – John R. Fox's official Medal of Honor Citation.
  5. ^ Jim Garamone (January 15, 1997). Army Finally Recognizes WWII Black Heroes. DefenseLINK News.
  6. ^ Joseph L. Galloway, Debt of Honor, U.S. News & World Report, May 6, 1996. ISSN 0041-5537
  7. ^ Hondon B. Hargrove (1985). Buffalo Soldiers in Italy: Black Americans in World War II. McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-89950-116-8.
  8. ^ Farai Chideya (March 3, 2005). Hasbro Offers "Buffalo Soldier" GI Joe Action Figure. National Public Radio.

[edit] External links

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