Editing Rodger Young

{{Short description|U.S. Medal of Honor recipient (1918–1943)}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
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{{Infobox military person
|name= Rodger Young
|birth_date= {{birth date|1918|04|28}}
|death_date= {{death date and age|1943|07|31|1918|04|28|mf=yes}}
|birth_place= [[Tiffin, Ohio]], U.S.
|death_place= [[Munda, Solomon Islands|Munda]], [[New Georgia]]
|placeofburial=McPherson Cemetery, [[Clyde, Ohio]]
|placeofburial_label= Place of burial
|image= Rodger Young.jpg
|image_size=
|caption= Young as a sergeant
|nickname=
|allegiance= {{Flag|United States of America|1912|size=23px}}
|branch=[[File:Seal of the United States Department of War.png|25px]] [[United States Army]]
* [[United States Army National Guard|U.S. Army National Guard]]
|serviceyears= 1939–1943
|rank= [[Sergeant]]
|commands=
|unit= [[148th Infantry Regiment (United States)|148th Infantry Regiment]], [[37th Infantry Division (United States)|37th Infantry Division]]
|battles=[[World War II]]
* [[Battle of Munda Point]]
|awards= [[Medal of Honor]]<br />[[Purple Heart]]
}}

'''Rodger Wilton Young''' (April 28, 1918{{spaced ndash}}July 31, 1943) was a [[United States Army]] infantryman from [[Ohio]] during [[World War II]]. Born in the small town of [[Tiffin, Ohio]], in 1932, Young suffered a sports injury in high school that led to his becoming nearly deaf and blind. Despite this, he was able to pass the exams necessary to enter the [[Ohio National Guard]]. Soon after the United States entered World War II, Young's company was activated as part of the U.S. Army. Soon after his activation, in 1943, Young was killed on the island of [[New Georgia]] in [[Solomon Islands]] while helping his [[platoon]] withdraw from a Japanese ambush. For his actions, he was posthumously awarded the United States' highest military decoration, the [[Medal of Honor]].

In remembrance of Young, the songwriter [[Frank Loesser]] wrote "[[The Ballad of Rodger Young]]", a war song based on Young's Medal of Honor citation. The night infiltration course at [[Fort Benning]] is named for Young, as is a small arms firing range at [[Camp Perry]]. [[Rodger Young Village]] was a veteran's living community set up near Laguna, California (now paved over as a freeway).

==Early life and education==
Young was born on April 28, 1918, in [[Tiffin, Ohio]],<ref name=history>{{cite web|url=http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1808|title=Rodger W. Young|publisher=Ohio History Central|access-date=July 7, 2010|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121121120847/http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1808|archive-date=November 21, 2012}}</ref> to Nicholas and Ester Young.<ref name=hoh>{{cite web|url=https://homeofheroes.com/heroes-stories/world-war-ii/rodger-young/|title=Rodger "Fuzz" Young: The True Story of a Weekend Warrior|publisher=Home of Heroes|access-date=November 1, 2024}}</ref> He had four siblings; three brothers and one sister. For much of his early life, Young lived in the town of [[Green Springs, Ohio]], but later in his childhood he and his family moved to [[Clyde, Ohio]]. Throughout his childhood, Young enjoyed hunting, which improved his [[marksmanship]] skills.<ref name=history/>

Although a small-statured boy, Young was a keen athlete. While in [[high school]], he tried out for his school's [[American football|football]] team. He was not accepted at first, but eventually, his effort and enthusiasm in practices persuaded the coach to allow him to play in some games.<ref name=hoh/>

During a high school basketball game, Young received a serious head injury after contact with an opponent. The incident led to significant but gradual damage to his [[hearing loss|hearing]] and [[Loss of vision|eyesight]]. Because of this, he had to drop out of high school in his [[Tenth grade#United States|sophomore]] year, at which point his hearing and vision loss had progressed to a severe point.<ref name=hoh/>

==Military service==
Looking for ways to earn extra income and thinking that, because of his health issues, he would fail the normal [[US Army|Army]] [[medical exam]], Young applied to the [[Ohio National Guard]] in 1939.<ref name=hoh/> Despite his poor sight and hearing, Young was accepted and posted to "B" Company, [[148th Infantry Regiment (United States)|148th Infantry Regiment]] of the [[37th Infantry Division (United States)|37th Infantry Division]].<ref name=life>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9VIEAAAAMBAJ&q=Rodger+Young&pg=PA117|title=The Ballad of 'Rodger Young': An Infantry Private Who Became a Hero Inspires a Stirring New Song|newspaper=[[Life (magazine)|Life]]|date=March 5, 1945|page=111|access-date=July 7, 2010}}</ref> Although Young was the shortest man in his company<ref name=history/><ref name=hoh/> and wore glasses, he was considered a good soldier by his peers.<ref name=life/>

=== World War II ===
In October 1940, a year after joining the National Guard, Young and his unit were [[US National Guard#activation|activated for federal service]] as part of American preparations for [[World War II]]. At that time,<ref name=life/> Young was a corporal, training new recruits in handling [[small arms]]. Following a promotion to [[Sergeant#United States|sergeant]], he was assigned to lead an infantry [[squad]].<ref name=history/> In 1942, soon after [[Pearl Harbor Attack|America's entry into the war]], the 148th embarked for [[Fiji]], in the Pacific, and after that to the nearby [[Solomon Islands]] for training prior to a deployment to the Japanese-held island of [[New Georgia]]. By this time, Young's hearing and eyesight had deteriorated to a point where, taking into account the safety of those under him, Young requested a demotion to private, which would render him unable to command a squad.<ref name=life/><ref name=Tillman100>{{harvnb|Tillman|2006|p=100}}.</ref>

When Young submitted his request to the company commander, the commander initially thought Young was [[malingering]] in order to avoid combat; however, a medical examination carried out soon after determined that Young was nearly [[deaf]], which convinced the commander to demote him.<ref name=hoh/> The examining doctor recommended that Young go to a [[field hospital]] for treatment. However, not wanting to miss the [[Battle of New Georgia|New Georgia landing]], Young requested to remain with his squad.<ref name=hoh/> The commander accepted his request and a week later, on July 31, 1943, Young carried out the actions that led to his posthumous award of the Medal of Honor.<ref name=life/>

Nine days into the [[Battle of Munda Point]], on July 31, Young was assigned to a 20-man patrol sent out at around 4:00&nbsp;p.m. to [[reconnoiter]] Japanese territory. After achieving their objective, the patrol was returning to American lines when they were [[ambush]]ed by five Japanese soldiers.<ref name=hoh/> Heavy fire from the enemy, who were concealed in a [[machine gun]] pit {{convert|75|yd|m|0}} on higher ground, prevented further forward movement by the patrol. Two soldiers were killed in the initial burst and Young was wounded. During an attempt to [[flanking attack|flank]] the enemy, two more soldiers were killed. At this point, the patrol leader ordered a withdrawal.<ref name=cite>{{Cite web|title=Sgt. Rodger Wilton Young|url=https://militaryhallofhonor.com/honoree-record.php?id=1726|website=militaryhallofhonor.com|access-date=May 17, 2020}}</ref>
Young, ignoring the order to withdraw and his wound, began crawling towards the Japanese position. Another machine gun burst wounded Young a second time, but he continued his advance, drawing the enemy fire away from his squad. As Young drew closer to the machine gun pit, he began responding with rifle fire and by throwing [[hand grenades]] at the nest, wounding or killing most of the soldiers inside. Young was soon hit by enemy fire and killed.<ref name=hoh/> Because of his actions, Young's platoon was able to withdraw from the ambush without any further casualties.<ref name=Tillman100/>

[[File:Army Medal of Honor.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Army Medal of Honor]]
On January 6, 1944, Young's family was presented with the [[Medal of Honor]].<ref name=hoh/>
Young's Medal of Honor citation reads:<ref name=cite/>
<blockquote>
On July 31, 1943, the infantry company of which Pvt. Young was a member, was ordered to make a limited withdrawal from the battle line in order to adjust the battalion's position for the night. At this time, Pvt. Young's platoon was engaged with the enemy in a dense jungle where observation was very limited. The platoon suddenly was pinned down by intense fire from a Japanese machinegun concealed on higher ground only 75 yards away. The initial burst wounded Pvt. Young. As the platoon started to obey the order to withdraw, Pvt. Young called out that he could see the enemy emplacement, whereupon he started creeping toward it. Another burst from the machine gun wounded him the second time. Despite the wounds, he continued his heroic advance, attracting enemy fire and answering with rifle fire. When he was close enough to his objective, he began throwing hand grenades, and while doing so was hit again and killed. Pvt. Young's bold action in closing with this Japanese pillbox and thus diverting its fire, permitted his platoon to disengage itself, without loss, and was responsible for several enemy casualties.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Private RODGER YOUNG, U.S. Army, 148th Infantry, 37th Infantry Division – Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation|url=https://themedalofhonor.com/recipients/private-rodger-young-u-s-army-148th-infantry-37th-infantry-division/|access-date=2020-06-12|language=en}}</ref>
</blockquote>

Young's body was transferred to the United States in July 1949 and is now buried in McPherson Cemetery in Clyde, Ohio.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wilson|first=Scott|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7-DgDAAAQBAJ&q=rodger+young+grave&pg=PA833|title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.|date=2016-08-22|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-7992-4|language=en}}</ref>

==Legacy==
{{listen |filename=The Ballad of Rodger Young (West Point Cadet Glee Club 1959).ogg|title=The Ballad of Rodger Young|description=''[[The Ballad of Rodger Young]]'' performed by the [[West Point Cadet Glee Club]], 1959.}}
At the [[U.S. Army Infantry School]] at [[Fort Benning]] in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], the night infiltration course is named for Young. A passing grade in the course is a prerequisite for graduation; soldiers crawl through sandy and muddy terrain while live gunfire from [[M60 machine gun|M60]] or [[M240 machine gun|M240B]] machine guns passes overhead. Fort Benning's Recreation Center has a plaque in recognition of his bravery.<ref name=hoh/>

On March 1, 1945, the city of Fremont, Ohio memorialized Fremont Water Works Park by dedicating it to the memory of Rodger W. Young and members of the armed forces from [[Sandusky County%2C Ohio|Sandusky County]], Ohio in World War II.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 24, 2001|title=Rodger W. Young Memorial Park Dedication and Parade|url=http://www.sandusky-county-scrapbook.net/Young/Dedica.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728080851/http://www.sandusky-county-scrapbook.net/Young/Dedica.html|archive-date=July 28, 2020|access-date=December 7, 2020|website=Sandusky County Scrapbook}}</ref>

In 1945, songwriter [[Frank Loesser]] wrote "[[The Ballad of Rodger Young]]".<ref name="Tillman100" /> At the time, Loesser was a private serving in the Army's Radio Production Unit. ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine featured the ballad's [[sheet music]] and lyrics in a story on Young in its March 5, 1945, edition.<ref>{{cite news|title=Loesser Writes for Infantry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9VIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA117 |newspaper=[[LIFE magazine|Life]] |date=March 5, 1945 |page=111|access-date=July 7, 2010}}</ref>  The ''Life'' article, together with the 1949 repatriation of Young's body to the United States, boosted the song's popularity. Best-selling recordings were made by [[Burl Ives]] and [[Nelson Eddy]] by the end of 1949. On March 31, 1946, "The Ballad of Rodger Young" was sung by tenor [[Dennis Day]] on the [[The Jack Benny Program|''Jack Benny Program'']] on the radio. After the song, [[Jack Benny]] gave a speech in Young's honor.{{sfn|Leff|2006|p=158}}

In 1946, a veterans' housing project was established in [[Los Angeles, California]]. This was known as the [[Rodger Young Village]] until the mid-1950s when it was destroyed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/580635532/|title=Young, Baseline Tenants Moved |work=Valley Times |location=North Hollywood, Calif. |date=March 4, 1954}}</ref> At the Ohio National Guard Training Site in [[Camp Perry]], there is a small arms [[firing range]] named in honor of Young. Camp Perry hosts the [[National Rifle & Pistol Championships]].<ref name=hoh/>

Young is briefly mentioned in [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s 1949 short story "[[The Long Watch]]" and in his novel ''[[The Rolling Stones (novel)|The Rolling Stones]]'', a mountain range on the moon is named for Young. In Heinlein's novel ''[[Starship Troopers]]'', for which he was awarded the [[Hugo Award|Hugo]] in 1959, the troop transport TFCT ''Rodger Young'' is named for him. Loesser's ballad also features on several occasions in the book.{{sfn|Heinlein|1997|pp=345–352}} Heinlein also included a "Historical Note" in which he quoted Young's Medal of Honor citation. The starship is also featured in [[Paul Verhoeven]]'s [[Starship Troopers (film)|adaption of the novel]], named the "No. 176 ''Rodger Young''{{-"}}; in the movie the character Sgt. Zim pays a loose homage to Young's history by asking to be demoted so he can join the front lines.<ref name=hoh/>

In January 1964, Young's story was featured in the 15th episode of the TV historical series ''[[The Great Adventure (American TV series)|The Great Adventure]]'', in which he was portrayed by [[James MacArthur]].

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[[List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book|last=Heinlein |first=Robert A|title=Starship Troopers|date=1997|publisher=Titan|isbn=1-85286-886-4 |oclc=40716783}}
* {{cite book|last=Leff|first=Laura|title=39 Forever |volume=2: ''Radio October 1942 – May 1955'' |edition=Second |publisher=The International Jack Benny Fan Club|year=2006|isbn=978-0965189354}}
* {{cite book |last=Tillman |first=Barrett |title=Heroes: U.S. Army Medal of Honor Recipients |year=2006 |publisher=Berkley Caliber |location=New York |isbn=0-425-21017-0 |pages=100 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/heroesusarmymeda0000till }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20040501070627/http://www.west-point.org/users/usma1981/38405/west_point/songs/RodgerYoung.htm The Ballad of Rodger Young]"—Lyrics courtesy of [http://www.west-point.org/ The West Point Connection]
* {{Cite web |title=Rodger W. Young |url=http://www.sandusky-county-scrapbook.net/Young.htm |publisher=Sandusky County Scrapbook |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051211055442/http://www.sandusky-county-scrapbook.net/Young.htm |archive-date=December 11, 2005 }}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Rodger Wilton}}
[[Category:1918 births]]
[[Category:1943 deaths]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel killed in World War II]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Ohio]]
[[Category:People from Clyde, Ohio]]
[[Category:People from Green Springs, Ohio]]
[[Category:People from Tiffin, Ohio]]
[[Category:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients]]
[[Category:United States Army non-commissioned officers]]
[[Category:World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor]]
[[Category:Ohio National Guard personnel]]
[[Category:American blind people]]
[[Category:American deaf people]]