The Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, located in Nashville, TN, is named for the son of the founder, Dr. Wesley Wilkerson. Bill Wilkerson was killed in the Battle of the Bulge on 12 January 1945, at the age of 19.
Lt Arnold set up a telephone in a building near Olzheim, Germany, and realizing the immediate necessity of filling the position when the artillery observer was delayed, took over and telephoned vital information to friendly artillery. Enemy tanks moved up and fired at point blank range at the building and enemy artillery was directed against it. With great courage and devotion ….
As I watched, Morgan tracked the machine gun to fire. We had a quick whispered discussion and decided not to fire until the squad was at the center of the field, between each hedgerow. When the squad reached center field, Morgan open fired.
Curtis Shoup was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the United States highest military award. He was the only soldier in the 87th Division to be so honored during World War II.
