US Army Col. Jack Treadwell - Medal of Honor Recipient during WWII

Welcome back everyone, in this episode of Duty & Valor I’ll tell you the story of a man who would enlist in the Army as a private, and thanks to his bravery and fearless leadership, would receive a battlefield commission during WWII.   A man who captured six enemy pillboxes and secured numerous prisoners of war by himself.   A man who would earn every award for valor that was possible in the US Army during his 33 year career.  This is the story of Medal of Honor recipient US Army Col. Jack Treadwell.  

Jack Treadwell was born on March 30th, 1919 in Ashland, AL before being moved to Oklahoma at a young age by his parents.  He graduated from Snyder high school then attended Southwestern State College, also in Oklahoma.  After only two years of college, he would enlist in the US Army in January of 1941.

Following basic training, he was assigned to the 180th Regiment of the 45th Infantry Division as an infantryman at the rank of private.  His unit was part of the North Africa Campaign in June of 1943 before participating in the assault on Sicily in July.  By this time, Treadwell was gaining a reputation as a more than competent soldier and he was recognized for his bravery during combat.  A few months later, the 180th was part of the assault on the Italian mainland at Salerno and then later at Anzio.  It was at the Battle of Anzio where army officers saw in Treadwell the makings of an exceptional officer and he received a battlefield commission.

A few months later, in May, 2nd Lt. Treadwell was in combat near Carano Italy with the 180th where they faced a superior attacking force.  The Germans were within fifty yards of their position and getting through the defensive lines at certain spots.  Lt. Treadwell directed the men of his platoon to bring all of their firepower to bear on the attackers.  During the fighting, two platoons had lost their officers, so he would reorganize them and offer the leadership they were lacking at the time.  And under his command, they were able to stop the subsequent attacks.  

The 180th was stretched across a 400 yard front, and Lt. Treadwell would move from squad to squad providing badly needed direction.  He directed artillery fire on enemy positions, even when they were dangerously close to his observation post.  His actions and leadership inspired his men and they were able to successfully defend their position.  Lt. Treadwell’s actions saw him earning the Distinguished Service Cross. 

As the war front moved further north towards the ultimate goal of Berlin, the 180th found itself in Northern France in January of 1945.  They were assaulting the heavily entrenched Germans, who were firing at the Americans with intense rifle and machine gun fire.  As the advance was halted, Lt. Treadwell moved forward under heavy fire towards the platoon who was taking most of the enemy fire to see what was halting their advance.  As he reached the platoon, he found the platoon leader injured and the men disorganized.  He was able to regroup the squads of the platoon, and he called in mortar and tank support.  He would then reposition the other platoons under his command and lead an attack against the defenders.  His actions were credited with the Americans suffering minimal casualties, while inflicting heavy losses on the retreating Germans.  And for his gallantry in action, Lt. Treadwell was awarded the Silver Star.  

On March 18th 1945, the 180th was facing the Germans on their homeland.  Again, the Germans were in heavily defended positions on the Siegfried Line, which was a fortified defensive line that stretched along the East of the country.  They were firing upon the assaulting Americans from trenches and fortified concrete pillboxes atop a hill.  The Americans were pinned down for hours before eight men were sent to attack a position on the line, but they would all fall to enemy fire.

It was at this point that Lt. Treadwell armed himself with hand grenades and a submachine gun, in an attempt to get his men moving forward.   His advance was across open terrain, so the Germans clearly saw his actions and they directed their fire towards him.  As he was advancing, he took aim at the small firing holes on a pillbox before lobbing grenades inside of it when he was finally within range.   He safely made it to the pillbox and took aim at the occupying Germans with his submachine gun.  He was able to capture the four men and he sent them unarmed back towards the American line.  During his assault he had killed a fifth German who he found inside.  

He then faced even heavier German fire as made a solo assault on a second pillbox.  He utilized the same tactics where he would fire his submachine gun as he made his way closer, followed by throwing grenades.  In this second pillbox, he captured the commander of the German defenders, who he sent back with the other captured men. 

Lt. Treadwell maintained his focused assault and made his way towards a third pillbox, then a fourth, fifth, and miraculously , a sixth capturing them all.  By this point, his men had advanced and were part of the attack against the now confused defenders.  They were able to drive a wedge into the Siegfried Line and the battalion obtained its objective.  By the end of the assault, Lt. Treadwell had captured 18 of the Germans who were defending the six pillboxes.

For his unbelievable display of heroism, Lt. Treadwell was awarded the Medal of Honor on August 23rd, 1945 by President Truman.  In addition, Treadwell was also promoted to Captain.

While recuperating in France from a serious neck and chest injury he sustained shortly after his Medal of Honor heroics, Capt. Treadwell met an Army nurse from Indiana named Maxine Johnson and the two would later get married.

Treadwell remained in the Army and would be assigned to various command positions prior to the start of the Vietnam War.  He was now a Colonel and serving as the Commanding Officer of the 11th Infantry Brigade.   On June 4th, 1969 Col. Treadwell was in his command and control helicopter when he was told of an issue with one of the battle commander's aircraft, he ordered his helicopter to a landing zone where he took control of the operation.  The American forces were engaged against a North Vietnamese company.  He directed his pilot to circle over the battlefield, where Col. Treadwell would direct his men and offer intel on enemy locations and movements.  His direction led the American forces to coordinate an attack which caused the enemy to flee the battle.  He then spotted a squad sized enemy force who were attempting to set up a position which would allow them to lay down covering fire for the retreating forces.  Col. Treadwell then ordered the door gunners to open fire on their position, which neutralized the threat, but the helicopter was under such intense enemy fire that it was hit multiple times and was close to needing an emergency landing.  Risking his own life, he ordered the helicopter to remain in flight as he continued to direct the battle.  Once the Americans had the situation under control, he directed the pilot to land on a nearby beach.  For his command that day, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Two months later on August 18th, he was again aboard his command and control helicopter flying above an American ground convoy when he saw the lead vehicle hit an enemy mine.  He directed the pilot to land near the truck.  The truck was carrying ammunition and it had caught fire, which caused rounds to explode.  Risking his own life, Col. Treadwell raced toward the vehicle and he provided aid to the injured men who had been thrown from the truck.  He faced the risk of being hit with the exploding rounds and pulled the men away towards safety, where they waited for a medevac.  His heroics  saw him being awarded the Soldier’s Medal, which is awarded to those who distinguish himself or herself by heroism not involving conflict with an enemy.

Col. Treadwell remained in the Army until his retirement on Feb. 27th, 1974, where he was believed to be the most decorated American service member at the time.  Jack and Maxine then moved to Oklahoma with their three daughters, to raise horses. 

On December 12th, 1977, Col. Treadwell died at 58 years old following complications from open heart surgery and he is buried at the Fort Sill Post Cemetery in Oklahoma.

Thank you for listening, and if you enjoyed this week's show, we kindly ask that you follow us and leave a review and 5 star rating.  A link to the sources for today's show can be found in the show notes.  And join us next week where we’ll tell you the story of another true American hero.