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(DAN FERRIS | CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS) George Dennis Keathley, shown at right, was born in Olney and lived and died and life of military service that is recognized today through various honors.
The highest Military Medal awarded by the United States government, usually by the President of the United States is the Medal of Honor.
George Dennis Keathley was born Nov. 10, 1907 in Olney. He went to school in Olney and attended college at Cameron Junior College in Lawton, Oklahoma.
In 1933, Keathley enrolled into Texas A&M University and acquired a degree in agriculture. He was a member of Troop D Calvary of the Corps of Cadets of that university. He graduated from Texas A&M in 1937.
He married Inez Edmunson in 1942 and they had two daughters. That same year he enlisted into the United States Army. He trained at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.
In 1943, Keathley was promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major as the platoon Commander. After many different schools and commands he was assigned to the 85th Custer division as part of the 5th Army. The “Custer” Division left the states Dec. 24, 1943. They hit land in Casablanca, Morocco on the Jan. 2, 1944.
Keathley was a soldier and a sergeant who severed with great valor. He served in the United States Army during WWII, fighting and dying in Italy in a place no one knew the name of at the time.
His courage and leadership skills earned him a place in history at the battle of Giogo Pass at the mountain of Altuzzo, Italy. This battle was to fight through the Gothic Line against the Germans.
Under the deadly fire of German mortars, machine guns and automatic weapons, the “Custer’s” fought until the line was held, but all of the officers and non-commissioned officers were dead.
The platoon was now led by Sergeant Major Keathley and they were way out numbered and dangerously low on ammunition.
Under heavy fire, Keathley crawled on his belly to help the wounded and to collect any ammo off of the dead, which he then dealt out to the remaining troops. During all of this, Keathley was wounded in his left side by a German grenade, but he continued to give orders and fight the Germans. He would not be silenced.
He kept his guys fighting for another quarter hour, before the Germans retreated, leaving behind all of their dead and wounded. Keathley died a few minutes later.
Had it not been for his indomitable courage and leadership, what was left of the three remaining Company B platoons would have been in a lot worse shape or gone.
At one time, Keathley stood up, taking his hand away from the wound in his side and holding in his entrails to steady his rifle and shot a German soldier coming straight at him and several others. This action rallied his troops and their will to fight.
He could have went to a shelter for medical assistance and saved his own life, but he chose instead to stay and command his troops to fight. Keathley’s leadership led and inspired all of his men to stay in the fight. He died Sept. 14, 1944. His wife Inez received his medals in April 1945.
Keathley’s heroism has been honored in many ways.
In Lawton, Oklahoma the VFW post is named in his honor. Cameron Junior College renamed the Reserve Officers Training Corps to the Keathley’s Rifles.
In 1949, a reserve naval ship was named after him the “USNS George D. Keathley” This ship was used during the Korean War to transport troops and cargo.
In Lamesa, the VFW post is named after him. At Texas A&M University, Keathley’s original Medal of Honor and his Purple Heart are under glass and displayed with a bronze plaque in the Sam Houston Sanders Corp of Cadets Center. Texas A&M also named the Keathley Hall Dormitory after its former student.
