Thomas Wigle served as a Platoon Leader, Company K, 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division FROM THE US ARMY OCS Hall of Fame Alumni website: Second Lieutenant Thomas W. Wigle was born 18 May 1909 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He graduated from Northwestern High School in Detroit, Michigan, and attended Michigan State College in Lansing, Michigan, for two years. He was an adept violinist and was awarded a scholarship to study music in Salzburg, Austria, where he remained for eight months. He later taught music, became a concert violinist and played with the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra. Second Lieutenant Wigle, though of the Protestant faith, had a profound interest in all religions and devoted much of his time and thoughts to religious study. In May of 1942, Lieutenant Wigle entered the Army at Detroit, Michigan, and was assigned to Camp Wolters, Texas, for his basic training. Upon completing his basic training he was enrolled in the Infantry Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning and graduated with Class Number 190 on 9 March 1943. Upon graduation he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant Infantry and assigned to Camp Wheeler, Georgia. Later he was transferred to Camp Blanding, Florida, where he successfully completed the highly intensified and rugged Ranger course and remained as an instructor in Ranger tactics. | In April 1944, he was placed on orders as a Replacement Officer to Italy, where he was assigned to Company K, 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division. He was mortally wounded in combat on 14 September 1944 near Monte Frassino, Italy, while engaged in the heroic action for which he was awarded our nation’s highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor. Wigle died on 16 September 1944 as a result of his wounds. His CITATION reads: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in the vicinity of Monte Frassino, Italy. The 3d Platoon, in attempting to seize a strongly fortified hill position protected by 3 parallel high terraced stone walls, was twice thrown back by the withering crossfire. 2d Lt. Wigle, acting company executive, observing that the platoon was without an officer, volunteered to command it on the next attack. Leading his men up the bare, rocky slopes through intense and concentrated fire, he succeeded in reaching the first of the stone walls. Having himself boosted to the top and perching there in full view of the enemy, he drew and returned their fire while his men helped each other up and over. Following the same method, he successfully negotiated the second. Upon reaching the top of the third wall, he faced 3 houses which were the key point of the enemy defense. Ordering his men to cover him, he made a dash through a hail of machine-pistol fire to reach the nearest house. Firing his carbine as he entered, he drove the enemy before him out of the back door and into the second house. Following closely on the heels of the foe, he drove them from this house into the third where they took refuge in the cellar. When his men rejoined him, they found him mortally wounded on the cellar stairs which he had started to descend to force the surrender of the enemy. His heroic action resulted in the capture of 36 German soldiers and the seizure of the strongpoint. The CMOH was awarded posthumously on February 7, 1945.