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(Sam Babcock - Dec. 1917)
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Corporal Samuel B. Babcock - USMC.
World War I Veteran of Belleau Wood, France!
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Sam applied to join
the US Marine Corps on 08 June 1917 in Chicago, Illinois and officially
enlisted on June 20th, 1917 at Port Royal, South
Carolina. He had started training on June 11th, 1917 in
Company E. On August 13th, he was
transferred to Company K at Paris Island, South Carolina and on the 17th
made a"Marksman."
Sam was again transferred on August 28th, 1917
to the 96th Company - the company he stayed with until his
discharge. On 25 September, 1917 he was promoted to Corporal. |
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Sam embarked for service in France, leaving New York on 19
January, 1918 for Brest, France on board the USS Henderson.
He began service with the US 2nd Division on 08 February,
1918.
He was a Corporal in the 96th
Company, under the command of Lt. Clifton Cates, later Commandant of the
US Marine Corps under President Eisenhower. The 96th
Company was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine
Regiment of the 4th Marine Brigade in the U.S. Army 2nd
Division. The only time in US History the Marines were not under
separate command. It is also the time the Marines earned their
nickname - "The Devil Dogs" courtesy of the Germans,
who were surprised by their tenacity.
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The 96th Company was
involved in most of the
major battles fought by the US Marines in WWI. They fought first
at Verdun, in
what Sam termed "simple trench raids." Their first major
engagement was at Belleau Wood - perhaps
the turning point for the
Allies in WWI. They later
had engagements at Soissons, St. Mihiel, Mont Blanc and the Meuse
Argonne Campaign.
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Map
of Belleau Wood, France
"A Brief History of the 6th Marines", pg. 7
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However, it was the
battle at Belleau Wood that singled out the Marines in history, setting
the groundwork for the eventual Allied victory on 11 November 1918.
"Perhaps [the] most outstanding
action took place on June 6, 1918. On that date, the 96th made its
way over an open wheat field under heavy machinegun fire to capture the
town of Bouresches, France, as part of the Belleau Wood Campaign.
With 50 per cent casualties, the 96th took the town from the
German Army, which had captured it nine days earlier. German
strength in the city was estimated at about 250 men, with six machine-guns.
The the 2nd Lt. [Clifton B.] Cates was knocked unconscious by
a German machine gun bullet, but soon recovered and joined in the
attack. He was one of three remaining officers. First Lt.
James F. Robertson, who died in the late '20s had taken command of the
company and was the first to enter the town. However, 1st
Lt. Robertson didn't have a chance to consolidate the company's
success. He had to find reinforcements. So 2nd
Lt. Cates proceeded to clean out and organize a hasty defense of the
town. Cates occupied Bouresches with 21 Marines who were still able
to fight. [Cpl. Sam Babcock was among them]. He had with about
half of the 96th, taken an objective designed for capture by
three companies. It was for the capture and holding of the town of
Bouresches by the 96th that the 4th Brigade was
cited by the French and Americans in General Orders."
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The
Germans mounted a major attack on the Marines in Bouresches on June
14th, using mustard gas among other weapons. Sam was gassed on
this date and was quickly transferred to a field hospital. Many of
his comrades were not so lucky, as many died from the gas or other
wounds received. Their graves can be visited at the Aisne-Marne
American Cemetery near Belleau, France.
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Sam
recovered from the gassing quickly and was transferred back to his unit
on the 26th of June, 1918. He was wounded at the Battle
of Soisson, receiving a bayonet wound in the side. He was
recovering from this in a hospital in Nevers, France at the time the
Armistice was signed. He returned to the U.S., in New York, along
with his brother Bill Babcock who served in the Army, on board the USS
George Washington on 23 December, 1918. This was the ship
later used by President Wilson to attend the Paris Peace treaty
signings.
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(Sam Babcock with Medals
received
in WWI. C. 1933)
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As shown at the photograph to the left, Samuel B. Babcock
was highly decorated for his actions and the courage he displayed
during his service in the Marine Corps. Among the medals and
citations he received were: the Purple Heart, Marine Honor
Medal, the Inter-Allied Medal and the French Croix de
Guerre. Unfortunately, many of the medals were lost in a
house fire in 1979.
Sam Babcock died one day short of his 85th
birthday on 17 February 1980 in Burbank, California.
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This Page last updated:
14 January, 2001
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