FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- A 10th Mountain Division veteran who was highly decorated for his actions during World War II was honored during a memorialization ceremony April 8 at Fort Drum.
Fort Drum officials rededicated the Training Support Center as the 1st Lt. John S. Creaghe Training Support Center. Creaghe served with the 1st Battalion, 85th Mountain Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, during WWII.
Creaghe Family Members traveled from all over the world to attend the event. Representing the Family, Steve Creaghe presented a portrait of his uncle to the center.
"We are all here today because of what kind of Soldier John was," Creaghe said. "His citations, books about the 10th Mountain Division in WWII, an 85th Mountain Regiment history and a colleague's memoir all document the events which led to his medals."
On March 5, 1945, the morning after the initial assault on the heavily fortified Mt. Della Spe, Italy, John Creaghe selected a single Soldier to cover his advance as he approached an enemy position 75 yards away. He threw a grenade and demanded the enemy's surrender.
After their refusal, he killed three enemy soldiers as two others fled. Spotting a machine gun position 30 yards away and using the same tactics, he forced two enemy soldiers to surrender.
A third group of soldiers surrendered to Creaghe's maneuvers, resulting in an additional 10 prisoners.
According to Steve Creaghe, his uncle made a conscious decision during his initial training to be the best Soldier he could be. He preferred to be "in the action," and he wanted to be "up front."
"Describing how he was able to be effective in battle, John said 'before the action, I was sick to my stomach with fear, but once the action started, (the fear) went away. I was able to focus on the job that needed to be done. … I would have been willing to die to accomplish my mission,' and he almost did on Della Spe," Creaghe said.
Col. David Doyle, commander of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI), said John Creaghe represents the "Greatest Generation" of Americans who answered the call to fight for a better world.
"These men and women defeated both Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan under the direction of leaders like Lt. Creaghe," Doyle remarked.
After taking Mt. Della Spe, German counterattacks began under nightfall. During one of the attacks, Creaghe charged against German soldiers to spoil their attack, rather than waiting in the relative safety of the defensive fortifications.
Rushing out of the fortifications, Creaghe killed two enemy soldiers. In doing so, he sustained injuries to his right leg, right arm and his chest, and he lost the use of his left eye. Seriously wounded, he continued to give orders before losing consciousness.
Having had evacuated two Soldiers for medical aid during the initial assault, Creaghe refused his own evacuation until after the counterattacks ceased. He refused because he determined that the absence of the men required to travel with him would weaken the company defense.
"John Creaghe put the lives of his brothers in arms ahead of his own," Doyle said.
Creaghe was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart for actions and heroism during the battle on Mt. Della Spe, where he led seven Soldiers in the face of enemy fire and forced a German retreat.
According to Steve Creaghe, during a speech his uncle gave during the 85th Mountain Infantry Regiment's 50-year reunion in 1994, he "spoke of love, trust and loyalty" and the forging these bonds, which only comrades in arms can understand.
"He meant every word," Creaghe said. "In 2003, there were tears in his eyes as he was pointing out the names of some of his comrades who are memorialized on the 10th Mountain Division Memorial just up Tennessee Pass from the Camp Hale site. There are 990 names on that granite memorial."
After the war, Creaghe continued to ski throughout his life as he did at Camp Hale, Colo. Creaghe went on to earn a doctorate in political science from the University of Maryland. He taught in colleges in New England for years and then retired to Santa Rosa, Calif.
After 63 years of marriage to his wife Norma, Creaghe died in 2011. He was buried with military honors by the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), in Colorado Springs, Colo.
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