Father Martin C. Hoehn
Silver Star WW II: Hoehn, Martin C. HQ, XX Corps, G.O. No. 40 (1944)
Silver Star Korea:
Father Hoehn was a chaplain with my father’s unit in World War II. He and Dad resumed correspondence in the late 1970′s or early 1980′s. Fr. Hoehn won a Silver Star in both World War II and Korea.
Dad’s story of the WWII award was this:
Father Marty was part of an HQ convoy that was ambushed by some Krauts from a grove of trees. Father Marty always carried a .45. He rallied the cooks and clerks, hollered “Let’s get the bastards!” and led a charge that routed the Germans.
The Korea award was for his actions in the long walk back from the “frozen Chosin”.
Chaplain Martin C. Hoehn, Roman Catholic, serving with a portion of the 31st Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division, was later awarded the Silver Star for his heroic service and encouragement to the wounded.
Chaplain Hoehn remembered “In the morning after the medical company ambush, an improvised force of infantry and tanks began to go forward. I had not started with them, but the S-3, Anderson, told me to try to bring back wounded from the ambush…I was with CAPT Drake and GEN Hodes at the time. There was no snow, thus no tracks to follow to find wounded. I remember GEN Hodes remarking that the enemy used smokeless powder. It disgusted me to see the enemy, some in civilian clothes, squirm around in open patches on the hills. No one could shoot as we were riding away as rapidly as possible.”From Chaplain Hoehn: “The enemy was now on the ridges above us. LT Hensen of Tank Company had led a small unit against the enemy up the hill from the schoolhouse. We were sure he had been killed, as the enemy propped his body against a tree to induce us to come for a wounded comrade. In any case, we considered it a decoy and no one took the bait.”
Table of contents for Military Chaplains
- Jesus Walks the Battlefield
- Father Martin C. Hoehn
- Church: Chaplains are heroes, too.
- Chaplain Gave All-Chaplain (Major) Henry T. Vakoc
- Father Vincent Capodanno
- Father Elmer Heindl
- Father Heindl Saved America
- Father Leo – Saving Souls in Iraq
- Father (Capt.) Emil Kapaun
- Priest Called to Serve – in the Army
- Former Stunt Man Makes Leap to Airborne Ministry
- Female Chaplains Serve God and Country
- West Point Priest in Iraq
- Father Tim Never Surrendered
- Guard Member Earns Chaplain of Year Award
- Aiding God and Country: Chaplain Assistants
- To one Marine chaplain, karma is everything
- New Zealand chaplain making a difference to Afghan orphans
- St. Elijah’s Monastery in Iraq
- Captain Dale A Goetz KIA
- Mass celebrated in a far away land
- Serving God and the troops in Kyrgyzstan
- A breeze and a Bible changed her life
- Our Best: Spc. Heather Lane
- Military service a testimony of faith
- Father Emil Kapaun to be awarded Medal of Honor
This entry was posted on Monday, January 5th, 2004 at 8:30 pm and is filed under Military, Heroes, Military, Military, World War II. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
