Gregory, Earle Davis
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Earle D. Gregory, from Chase City, Virginia, was a member of the United States Army before the start of World War I. Before the war, Sergeant Gregory served in Mexico during the Mexican Expedition against the Mexican revolutionary forces of Francisco "Pancho" Villa. It was in Mexico that Gregory rose to the position of 1st Sergeant of his company before his 20th birthday.
The remarkable leadership demonstrated by Gregory in Mexico continued into World War I, where he was the Platoon Sergeant of a trench mortar platoon during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in October 1918. In fighting near the Bois-de-Consenvoye, Gregory’s unit was pinned down by German machine gun fire. Shouting, “I will get them!” Gregory, grabbing a rifle and using trench mortars as grenades, charged the enemy positions, capturing 23 German soldiers, a machine gun, and a howitzer. For his actions, Sergeant Gregory received the Medal of Honor, becoming the first native-born Virginian to receive this honor.
Three days after the action which earned him the Medal of Honor, Gregory was wounded in the leg while attempting to seize another German trench. After this he spent six months in the hospital recovering, partly in France and partly in Camp Lee, Virginia. On April 25, 1919, Gregory was honorably discharged from the Army. Four days later, he received his Medal of Honor during a ceremony at Camp Lee.
In his honor, in May 1963, the Pershing Rifles of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets were renamed the Gregory Guard.Earle Gregory enrolled in VPI after the war and graduated in 1923. He studied Electrical Engineering. Gregory was twice elected class president and president of the Corps of Cadets. He retired as the Administrative Assistant to the Tuscaloosa Hospital's Chief of Staff. He died on January 6, 1972.
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Mabel Gregory Hawkins
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French Croix de Guerre with Palm
Italian Corce di Guerra
Montenegrin Order of Merit Medal
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September 1919- enrolled at Virginia Tech and joined the VTCC
Class President at Virginia Tech
May 1963- The Pershing Rifles of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets renamed the Gregory Guard in honor of Earl D Gregory
Postwar Life
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Retired as Administrative Assistant to the Tuscaloosa Hospitals Chief of Staff
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Comments (if you have information about a veteran or would like to talk about a veteran, also email the project director Daniel Newcomb at danieln1@vt.edu with your information or question)