Robert Callison LEDFORD

1915 - 2003  (87 years)

• Name	Robert Callison LEDFORD
  Born	28 Dec 1915	Cypress, Orange Co., California
  Gender	Male
  Name	Bob
  _UID	0718F98A9AF2AA4F83F8D22AC27A35465545
  Died	19 Dec 2003
  Person ID	I88040	Branch 002 Thomas Stafford 1605 Eng
  Last Modified	15 Mar 2008

  
  

  Father	Walter Dallas LEDFORD,   b. 1873, Neodesha, Wilson Co., Kansas ,   d. 1953, Long Beach, Los Angeles Co., California  (Age 80 years)
  Mother	Martha Rebecca Margaret Elizabeth CALLISON,   b. 1875, Leivasy, Nicholas Co., West Virginia ,   d. 1934, Cypress, Orange Co., California  (Age 59 years)
  Married	1896	Parker Co., Texas
  Family ID	F600	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Robert had a distinguished army tour of duty in Europe during World War II. He served as a medic in the 9th Armored Division as a technical Sargent. He saw action in the "Battle of the Bulge" and "Ramagen Bridge on the Rhine" in Germany. He was awarded the Silver Star for bravery for saving a wounded officer under fire. He is very modest about his Silver Star. When asked about it, his comment was: "everyone who was over there at that time deserved one". Here is a newspaper article account from the 1940's that describes in detail what happened: "AWARDED SILVER STAR With the 9th Armoured Division in Germany, Robert C. Ledford, surgical technician in the 9th Armoured Engineering Battalion, has received the Silver Star for gallantry in action. His wife, Mrs. Robert Ledford, lives at Buena Park and his father lives at 816 east 9th Street in Long Beach. It was the third of the enemy's winter offensives. Near Savelborn, Luxembourg, Sgt. Ledford, as medical aid man, crawled 150 yards through intense mortor and machine gun fire to a machine gun position where he treated wounded crewmen. After remaining there half an hour, he crawled to a wounded officer who was 50 yards in front of enemy positions. This area was mercilessly subjected to small arms fire. After completing his mission, Sgt. Ledford returned to the aid station of the Armoured Infantry Battalion where he aided in the treatment and evacuation of many casualties. He went forward in a jeep under heavy fire to rescue wounded men. When medics of the 60th were knocked out, he went back to foxholes, administered first aid and boosted the morale of the front line fighters. The citation says, "Sgt. Ledford's devotion to duty and disregard for personal safety while treating casualties reflect the highest credit upon himself and the armed forces. Sgt. Ledford served with the Combat Command A of the 9th Armoured Division. CCA held the Germans for ten days in the vicinity of Waldbillig, Luxembourg, then took part in the breaking of the siege of Bastogne."