Charles Coolidge Jr.'s Medal of Honor Actions on Saint-Benoît Ridge

Feb 06 , 2026

Charles Coolidge Jr.'s Medal of Honor Actions on Saint-Benoît Ridge

Steel rains. Thunder cracks. Men fall, screaming under hellfire. Somewhere in the chaos, Lieutenant Charles Coolidge Jr. stands, voice cutting through the storm. “Forward! We take that ridge—no man left behind.”

Raised in Honor and Faith

Charles Coolidge Jr. came up under the hard skies of Springfield, Vermont, grounded in rugged New England values—toughness, grit, and a steady faith. His grandfather, Charles Coolidge Sr., was already a recipient of the Medal of Honor from World War I, a legacy carved deep into the family name. The son learned early that valor was not just for medals or glory. It was a calling to protect, to endure, and to lead by example.

Faith was the fire inside him. Raised Presbyterian, Charles believed that courage was born of conviction. When the war came, he carried not just his rifle, but a spiritual armor. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) wasn’t just words—it was his battle drum.

The Battle That Defined Him

August 14, 1944. Saint-Benoît-la-Chipotte, France. The air was thick with gunpowder and bitter desperation. Coolidge was a 1st Lieutenant in Company I, 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division. Their mission: seize and hold a strategic ridge under crushing German resistance.

Enemy fire ripped through the fields. Men dropped like cut wheat. Command crumbled under relentless machine gun nests. Coolidge rallied his company, ignoring bullets slicing at his flak vest. The ridge was a choke point. Without it, the Allied advance might stall.

He led from the front—arms signaling, boots pounding rocky ground. Twice wounded, he refused evacuation. Twice, he patched his own wounds before pressing on. With hand grenades, rifle, and sheer will, he neutralized a series of enemy strongholds.

When his platoon suffered heavy casualties, he reorganized survivors and pushed deeper into no man’s land. It was not just battleground tactics; it was raw heart under frostbite fear. No flinch, no surrender. His presence was an iron tether in chaos.

Medal of Honor: A Testament to Relentless Grit

The Medal of Honor citation tells the bare bones—heroism above and beyond—but hides the blood and breaths borrowed from death. Coolidge’s citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Lt. Coolidge led his men under intense fire, personally directing and participating in the assault which reduced enemy positions one after another, denying the enemy an opportunity to regroup.[1]

Commanders called him “a natural leader, the man others instinctively followed.” Soldiers spoke quietly of a lieutenant who got down in the mud with them, sharing rations and fears alike.

His wounds didn’t end his fight. After recovery, he went back to duty—proof that valor is a long haul, not just a moment’s spark.

Legacy Written in Sacrifice

Charles Coolidge Jr.’s story is a raw reminder of what war demands—a man’s body and soul tested against the abyss. But it’s not just about courage under fire. It’s about purpose amidst carnage.

He embodied a warrior’s paradox: strength wrapped in humility. Leaders arise not by title, but by sacrifice and faith anchored in something greater than self. His life echoes Psalm 18:39:

For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose against me.

Veterans carry scars invisible and deep. Coolidge’s example is a beacon—proof that even in darkest hours, redemption waits.

The battlefield never forgets. Neither should we. Men like Charles Coolidge Jr. remind us: Valor is not just in surviving fire, but in lighting the way for those who follow. There is no greater fight than the one waged to defend what’s right—and no sweeter redemption than that earned with blood and grit.

Sources

[1] U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II [2] John C. McManus, The Americans at D-Day: The American Experience at Omaha Beach [3] Springfield Historical Society Archives, The Coolidge Family Military Legacy