Walter Gordon (soldier, born 1920)
Walter Gordon | |
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506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division | |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart |
| Other work | Oil and gas lease broker |
Walter Scott Gordon Jr. (15 April 1920 – 19 April 1997)
Gordon was portrayed in the
Youth
Walter Scott "Smokey" Gordon was born in Jackson, Mississippi. He enrolled at Millsaps College around 1940, attending there for 2 years.[2]
Due to colorblindness and flat feet, the Marines and the Navy had rejected him, so he joined the Army.
Military service
Gordon's basic training was at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
Gordon had served with Easy Company as a
In September 1944, he jumped in the failed mission of
Medals and decorations
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| Badge | Combat Infantryman Badge | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st row | Bronze Star Medal | Purple Heart Medal
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Army Good Conduct Medal | |||||||||
| 2nd row | American Campaign Medal | European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 1 arrow-device | World War II Victory Medal | |||||||||
| Unit Award | Presidential Unit Citation | |||||||||||
Later years
In spring 1945, Gordon was sent back to the States and to Lawson General Hospital.[11] One day when he was recuperating, a doctor named Dr. Stadium turned to the nurse and said, "Keep an eye on this one, he's goldbricking." Gordon was infuriated, and only later he realized that the doctor was trying to rile him up to help reconnect nerves and keep a fighting spirit in him. He remained in touch with Dr. Stadium for years after the war.[12] The Army decided not to release Gordon, although he was improving, possibly because they might have to pay Gordon for a full disability if they released him at that point. Gordon was discharged from the Army with a 90% disability after his father threatened to "drive him down to the US Capitol Building, march him down onto the Senate floor, strip him down to his skivvies and let someone besides the Army make a determination."[13]
Gordon eventually fully regained all bodily movements but would suffer from severe back pain for the remainder of his life. People who did not know of his condition would always give him big hugs and pats on the back and knowledgeable ones could always tell it caused him extreme pain but he would never show the person any sign that it bothered him at all.[6][11]
Gordon later moved to Lafayette, Louisiana,[6] where he became employed as an independent oil and gas lease broker.[6] In 1946, he and others began organizing Easy Company reunions.[14] In 1951, he married Elizabeth Ball Ludeau and the couple had one son and 4 daughters.[6] Gordon was a faithful Episcopalian, but stopped being so after his beloved twin sister Cleta died in her early thirties of breast cancer.[15]
Gordon died in Pass Christian, Mississippi after suffering a stroke in his sleep.[6] He was survived by his five children including his eldest, Walter S. Gordon III, and his 5 grandchildren: Bonnie Gordon, Alison Gordon, Cherie Goff, Charles Goff and Shelby Gordon.[6]
References
- ^ Social Security Death Index record
- ^ a b WWII Army Enlistment Records: on-line NARA Archival Database
- ^ a b c d e p.94, Brotherton
- ^ p.95, Brotherton
- ^ p.63, Winters
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bradshaw, Jim (9 September 2001). "Oil man fought with real Band of Brothers". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
- ^ a b p.96, Brotherton
- ^ p.41, Winters
- ^ p.178, Winters
- ^ p.180, Winters
- ^ a b Ambrose, p.293.
- ^ p.97, Brotherton
- ^ p.98, Brotherton
- ^ Winters, p.258.
- ^ p.93, Brotherton
Bibliography
- Ambrose, Stephen E. (1992). Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7434-6411-6.
- Winters, Richard D.; Cole C. Kingseed (2006). Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-425-20813-3.
- Brotherton, Marcus (2010). A Company of Heroes: Personal Memories about the Real Band of Brothers and the Legacy They Left Us. Berkley Caliber. ISBN 978-0-425-23420-4.