Several with local ties to be inducted into Hall of Valor
From the Civil War to Italy, the D-Day invasion in Normandy to the Persian Gulf, three military men from Washington County and one from Pittsburgh’s South Hills will be enshrined later this month in the Hall of Valor at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh.
The name most familiar to Washington County residents is likely that of U.S. Army Retired Lt. Gen. William “Gus” Pagonis, a Charleroi native. Although he was awarded the Silver Star Medal during the Vietnam War, he attained a three-star rank and is known more recently for working behind the scenes to supply more than 500,000 U.S. Army troops during the first Gulf War.
He is the author of “Moving Mountains: Lessons in Leadership and Logistics from the Gulf War.” In it, he describes his mission, which was likened to relocating the entire population of Alaska to the other side of the globe. He retired from the Army in 1993 and returned to his hometown five years later for a Veterans Day observance.
Three others from this area will be honored:
• U.S. Army soldier William J. Carson of Fallowfield Township received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Civil War. According to “Medal of Honor Recipients of Washington County, Pa.,” by Ed Snarey, Carson enlisted as a musician in Company E, 1st Battalion, 115th U.S. Infantry, which was organized in Wheeling, Va., in 1861.
He was awarded the Medal of Honor Jan. 27, 1864, for his actions at Chickamauga, Ga., Sept. 19, 1863. According to his citation, Carson, “during a critical stage in the battle when the 14th Corps’ lines were wavering and in disorder, Carson, on his own initiative, bugled ‘To the Colors’ amid the 18th Infantry who formed by him, and held the enemy. Within a few minutes he repeated his action … This bugling deceived the enemy, who believed reinforcements had arrived, thus, they delayed their attack.”
He was one of 22 musicians who received the Medal of Honor for their bravery during the Civil War.
• U.S. Army First Sgt. Michael J. Roth of Denbo, Centerville Borough, was awarded the Silver Star Medal for his actions during the U.S. Army’s Italian Campaign in World War II.
Roth served with Company F, 168th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division. On April 16, 1945, after Roth’s platoon had advanced 600 yards, he observed three enemy soldiers moving into a draw. After he had notified his men to assume firing positions, Roth crawled to the edge of the draw to within 50 yards of the enemy positions. The enemy was moving into a position to ambush Roth’s platoon.
Roth laid a trap for the enemy by deploying his men to the rear and both flanks of the enemy’s route. When the enemy forces had advanced far enough into the trap, Roth “raked them with furious bursts from his Browning Automatic Rifle, killing five men and forcing the remainder to withdraw in great confusion,” according to his medal citation provided by Casey Patterson, senior staff assistant at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum Trust Inc.
While the platoon was consolidating its position, an enemy machine gun fired on them. Roth worked his way forward, under direct observation of the machine gunner, to within 50 yards of the machine gun. He then leaped to his feet and opened fire, killing the two enemy manning the gun.
• Also singled out for his service in World War II was Silver Star recipient U.S. Army Pvt. Michael J. Hluhan of Coverdale Village in Bethel Park, Allegheny County.
Hluhan, who served with the 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division, U.S. Army, was noted for his gallantry in action against the enemy in France on June, 12, 1944. “The initiative and courage displayed by this enlisted man reflects great credit upon himself and the armed forces of the United States.”
The induction ceremony, open to the general public, is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, March 23, in the Joseph A. Dugan Jr. Hall of Valor at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, Fifth Avenue, Oakland. There also will be a dinner reception at 3 p.m. at a cost of $35 per person. Reservations are due March 15. Soldiers and Sailors Hall of Valor was dedicated in 1963 as part of the military history museum to honor veterans, living and deceased, for valor above and beyond the call of duty while in action against the enemy. More than 600 veterans have been inducted. Applications are available online at soldiersandsailorshall.org