I have worked for seven years supporting COL Edward J. Sims appeals to the Army and then three Presidents, to rectify an injustice to one of our 82nd Airborne Division’s greatest heroes. In 1945, then 1LT Sims recommended then 1LT James “Maggie” Megellas for the Medal Of Honor. The Army lost the recommendation. COL Sims passed away June 28, 2013. He was himself, a highly decorated hero, saving his men over Sicily by getting them out of a burning C-47 before jumping into the fight himself; fighting at Anzio, Monte Cassino, jumping into Holland and crossing the Waal River under fire and earning the Silver Star. In Korea, CAPT Sims got another Silver Star. COL Sims knew as much about combat and valor as anyone at the Pentagon. I and other Paratroopers, Vets and Patriots have COL Sim’s blessing to continue his work as The Sims Team. We seek the Medal Of Honor for now LTC Megellas, now 97, because his valor in the Battle of The Bulge clearly warrants it. During the Battle of the Bulge, Maggie led two undersized Paratroop platoons into a battalion-sized force of Germans. Maggie killed 28 of the enemy in the initial firefight. According to COL Sims, Maggie’s tiny Airborne force killed 250 Germans and took 250 prisoners. When a Mark V tank threatened his men, Maggie charged the tank and killed it with grenades. Not a single Paratrooper was even wounded during this firefight because of Maggie’s valor. Maggie then re-organized his men, took the town of Herresbach, personally killed another six of the enemy, placed his men to repel the counter-attack and held the town. Herresbach was then the leap-off point for the 82nd’s attack on the Siegfried Line. A few dozen reckless, selfless Paratroopers, led from the front by a most fierce warfighter who loved his men so much he repeatedly risked his life for them, enhanced the famed 504 Parachute Infantry Regiment’s and 82nd Airborne’s position ALL THE WAY TO BERLIN. They made a huge contribution to winning WWII. COL Sims and every Paratrooper I know—including the leaders of the 82nd Airborne Division Association I’ve interviewed—recognize Maggie’s Herresbach action as worthy of the Medal Of Honor. However, the Army lost 1LT Sim’s recommendation then cut some General Orders to award Maggie the Silver Star. That citation downsized the killed and captured numbers and eliminated the tank action altogether. When COL Sims appealed to the Army to rectify the Army’s own mistake, the Army told COL Sims to produce the paperwork the Army lost. COL Sims then began appeals to three Presidents which resulted in referrals back to the Army. He was again and again dismissed by the Army. (Secretary of the Army McHugh, who has never seen a shot fired in anger, dismissed this case last December when a few Senators and Representatives requested his review.) Last year, Senate Bill S.993 was referred to the Senate Armed Forces Committee asking that the Committee approve the upgrade of Maggie’s Herresbach Silver Star to the Medal Of Honor. I can find no record of even a Committee conversation about S. 993. Please let me hear from you as to your opinion of Maggie’s Herresbach valor and why it has not been accorded the honor defined by Medal Of Honor criteria and awards precedent.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 11:17:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015