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WWI USR/USMC AEF ID card and helmet belonging to Lt. Charles Heimerdinger WWI DSC.


devildog34
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A while back I picked up a nice WWI AEF officers ID card to 2nd Lieutenant Charles Fred Heimerdinger who was born December 23, 1893 in Chicago, Illinois. After college, Charles applied for Commission in the U.S. Army and was sent to Ft. Sheridan. He was assigned early on to the 2nd Division and went overseas with them late 1917. Given the shortage of Marine officers, he was one of numerous USR officers assigned to the 4th Marine Brigade of the 2nd Division. On March 27, 1918 he was attached to the 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and was assigned to the 20th Company as a platoon commander. He participated in the battle of Belleau Woods, Soissons as well as the Marbache sector. On September 9, 1918 he was attached to 2nd Battalion 23rd Infantry where he participated in the engagements at St. Mihiel and Blanc Mont. During the battle of the Meuse Argonne on November 3, 1918 as the 2nd Division went on the offensive near the town of Landers-et-St. Georges, 2/23 encountered withering machine gun fire greatly stalling the advance. Heimerdinger and 12 men advanced into the enemy's line and quickly began reducing several of these machine gun positions to which 20 enemy surrendered. This patrol suffered 2 casualties and Heimerdinger maneuvered two men into position to provide suppressive fire on the remaining enemy positions so that his two wounded men could be pulled out of the firing line and the 20 prisoners could be extracted. For this action he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

After the war Heimerdinger went back home to Illinois where he went to work for the Western Electric Company in Chicago. He worked there as a supervisor throughout the 1940s. He was a very active member of the 2nd Division association and after purchasing the helmet and ID Card the seller sent me additional material. He passed away in July 1975.

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Here is a photo circa early 1970s during a 2nd Division Association reunion. What I wouldn't give to go back in time and attend one of these reunions to talk to these men!

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Kevin as always great additions to your collection!! Agree seeing those not too old reunion photos are painful....I recently learned a post war China Marine who was active in the China Marine Assoication lived right down the street from me but passed before I could interview him and his family sold and moved.

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BILL THE PATCH

Great reunion photos. I to would love to go back in time. My old neighborhood was filled with ww1 and ww2 guys. Very young then didn't even think of it.

 

Sent from my XT1031 using Tapatalk

 

 

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Wonderful stuff, Kevin! Great history and story, as usual. Congrats! Semper Fi........Bob

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BigJohn#3RD

Kevin,

As always you do a great job brining forward to the stories of honor and valor of all the "2nd To None" Marines and Soldiers. Thanks for posting.

John

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  • 1 year later...

I was in his daughter's condo yesterday & saw his certificate for his DSC & the medal itself. Was awesome. She said she had sold off a bunch of his stuff in a footlocker he had, which is what I'm guessing that's what you have. Very cool. I tried looking him up & came across this post.

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