|
Charles Joseph Watters (January 17, 1927 – November 19, 1967) was a Chaplain (Major) in the United States Army. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery exhibited while rescuing wounded men in the Battle of Dak To. He was killed in the battle in a friendly fire incident when a 500-pound bomb was dropped on American paratroopers near the triage area where he was working. January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...
November 19 is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...
The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...
Combatants Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) United States of America South Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Peoples Republic of China Strength ~1,200,000 (1968) ~520,000 (1968) Casualties South Vietnamese dead: 230...
The battle of Dak To was a major battle of the Vietnam war that took place between November 3 and November 22, 1967. ...
This article is about the U.S. military award. ...
The Purple Heart is a U.S. military decoration awarded in the name of the President of the United States to those who have been wounded or killed while serving in, or with, the U.S. military after April 5, 1917. ...
January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...
November 19 is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...
A chaplain is typically a member of the clergy serving a group of people who are not organized as a mission or church; lay chaplains are also found in some settings such as universities. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Posthumous means after death. ...
This article is about the U.S. military award. ...
The battle of Dak To was a major battle of the Vietnam war that took place between November 3 and November 22, 1967. ...
Friendly fire (fratricide or non-hostile fire) is a term originally adopted by the United States military in reference to an attack on friendly forces by other friendly forces, which may be deliberate (e. ...
An American Paratrooper using a MC1-B series parachute Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force. ...
This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ...
Chaplain Watters is one of seven chaplains to receive the Medal of Honor.[1]
Biography
Charles Joseph Watters was born on January 17, 1927 in Jersey City, New Jersey. He graduated from Seton Hall University in 1947. He was ordained as a Catholic priest [2] in 1953 and served in parishes in Jersey City, Rutherford, Paramus, and Cranford, New Jersey. January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...
For other uses of the name Seton Hall see Seton Hall Seton Hall University is a Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, 14 miles (23 km) from New York City. ...
In 1962, Watters became a chaplain with the New Jersey Air National Guard. In 1964, he entered active duty as a chaplain with the U.S. Army. He was began his first 12-month tour of duty in Vietnam on July 5, 1966. At the end of his first twelve months, in July 1967, he voluntarily extended his tour for an additional six months. Shield of the United States Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG) is part of the United States National Guard and a reserve component of the United States Air Force (USAF). ...
July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ...
1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ...
On 19 November 1967, Chaplain Watters' unit was involved in close combat with the enemy. For his "conspicuous gallantry ... unyielding perseverance and selfless devotion to his comrades" on that day, Chaplain Watters was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Watters is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. November 19 is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...
The Tomb of the Unknowns Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, is an American military cemetery established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Robert E. Lees wife Mary. ...
Medal of Honor citation The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to The presidential seal was used by President Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ...
Seal of the Congress. ...
MAJOR CHARLES JOSEPH WATTERS
United States Army For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Chaplain Watters distinguished himself during an assault in the vicinity of Dak To. Chaplain Watters was moving with one of the companies when it engaged a heavily armed enemy battalion. As the battle raged and the casualties mounted, Chaplain Watters, with complete disregard for his safety, rushed forward to the line of contact. Unarmed and completely exposed, he moved among, as well as in front of the advancing troops, giving aid to the wounded, assisting in their evacuation, giving words of encouragement, and administering the last rites to the dying. When a wounded paratrooper was standing in shock in front of the assaulting forces, Chaplain Watters ran forward, picked the man up on his shoulders and carried him to safety. As the troopers battled to the first enemy entrenchment, Chaplain Watters ran through the intense enemy fire to the front of the entrenchment to aid a fallen comrade. A short time later, the paratroopers pulled back in preparation for a second assault. Chaplain Watters exposed himself to both friendly and enemy fire between the two forces in order to recover two wounded soldiers. Later, when the battalion was forced to pull back into a perimeter, Chaplain Watters noticed that several wounded soldiers were lying outside the newly formed perimeter. Without hesitation and ignoring attempts to restrain him, Chaplain Watters left the perimeter three times in the face of small arms, automatic weapons, and mortar fire to carry and to assist the injured troopers to safety. Satisfied that all of the wounded were inside the perimeter, he began aiding the medics ... applying field bandages to open wounds, obtaining and serving food and water, giving spiritual and mental strength and comfort. During his ministering, he moved out to the perimeter from position to position redistributing food and water, and tending to the needs of his men. Chaplain Watters was giving aid to the wounded when he himself was mortally wounded. Chaplain Watters' unyielding perseverance and selfless devotion to his comrades was in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army. Small arms captured in Fallujah, Iraq by the US Marine Corps in 2004 The term small arms generally describes any number of smaller infantry weapons, such as firearms that an individual soldier can carry. ...
M2 machine gun An automatic firearm is a firearm that will continue to load and fire rounds of ammunition as long as the trigger (or equivalent) is activated or until it runs out of ammunition. ...
US soldier loading a M224 60-mm mortar. ...
In memory The name Charles Joseph Watters is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial ("The Wall") on Panel 30E, Row 036. [3] [4] The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national war memorial located in Washington, D.C. that honors members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War. ...
See also The Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, also called the Military Ordinariate of the United States, is a special diocese canonically erected by Pope Pius XII in 1939 for members and others employed by the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. ...
Notes - ^ Misseck, 2005.
- ^ "The Army Chaplancy — Vietnam Remembered". U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School, Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.
- ^ Charles Watters, Major, Army. The Virtual Wall. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.
- ^ Arlington National Cemetery profile
2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 180 days remaining. ...
2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 180 days remaining. ...
References - Chaplain Watters. U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School, Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.
- Chaplain Watters. ROTC History at SHU. Seton Hall University. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.
- Misseck, Robert E. (2005-05-19). "Tribute befitting a legend (Medal of Honor Recipient, Catholic Priest, Vietnam Veteran Remembered)". Newark Star Ledger. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.
|
Feeds |
Contact