View source for Francis S. Currey

{{Short description|United States Army Medal of Honor recipient (1925–2019)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{For-text|the American folk art painter|[[Frances Currey]]|the Australian rugby league player and coach|[[Frank Curry]]}}
{{Infobox military person
| name          = Francis S. Currey
| image         = Currey209717 crop.jpg
| caption       = Currey wearing his Medal of Honor in 1945
| nickname      =
| birth_date    = June 29, 1925
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|2019|10|8|1925|6|29}}
| birth_place   = [[Loch Sheldrake, New York]]
| death_place   = [[Selkirk, New York]]
| placeofburial = Mount Pleasant Cemetery<br/>[[South Bethlehem, New York]]
| allegiance    = United States
| branch        = [[United States Army]]
| serviceyears  = 1943–1945
| rank          = [[Technical Sergeant]]
| unit          = Company K, 3rd Battalion, [[120th Infantry Regiment (United States)|120th Infantry Regiment]]
| battles       = [[World War II]]
* [[Battle of the Bulge]]
| awards        = [[Medal of Honor]]<br/>[[Silver Star]]<br/>[[Bronze Star Medal]]<br/>[[Purple Heart]] (3)<br>[[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Order of Leopold]] (Belgium)
| relations     =
| laterwork     =
}}
'''Francis Sherman Currey''' (June 29, 1925 – October 8, 2019) was a [[United States Army]] [[technical sergeant]] and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration for valor, the [[Medal of Honor]], for his heroic actions during the [[Battle of the Bulge]] in [[World War II]].
==Early life==
Currey was born in [[Loch Sheldrake, New York]], on June 29, 1925. After being orphaned at age 12, he was raised by [[foster care|foster parents]] on a farm in nearby [[Hurleyville, New York|Hurleyville]].<ref name="Sullivan Country Democrat"/> He joined the [[United States Army]] at age 17, one week after graduating Hurleyville High School.<ref name="Bedell2006">{{Cite news |last=Bedell |first=Barbara |title=Event a tribute to Medal of Honor recipient |work=[[Times Herald-Record]] |date=July 14, 2006 |location=[[Middletown, Orange County, New York|Middletown, New York]] |url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060714/COMM/607140320/-1/NEWS14 |accessdate=July 9, 2012 }}</ref> Although at only 18 years old he completed [[Officer Candidate School (U.S. Army)|Officer Candidate School]], his superiors felt that he was "too immature" to be an officer and denied him a commission.<ref name="Collier">{{Cite book |last=Collier |first=Peter |authorlink=Peter Collier (political author) |title=Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty |publisher=Workman Publishing Company |year=2006 |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/medalofhonorport00coll/page/50 50] |isbn=978-1-57965-314-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/medalofhonorport00coll/page/50 }}</ref>
==World War II==
[[File:Currey209716.tif|250px|thumb|left|T/Sgt Currey used these weapons while halting a German attack on his company during the [[Battle of the Bulge]]]]
[[Image:30th Infantry Division SSI.svg|90px|thumb|right|30th Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia]]
Currey landed at [[Omaha Beach]] in July 1944, a few weeks after [[D-Day]]. On 18 October, he was assigned as a replacement without winter gear (he later suffered from [[frostbite]]) to 3rd Platoon, [[120th Infantry Regiment (United States)|K Company, 120th Infantry Regiment]], [[30th Infantry Division (United States)|30th Infantry Division]], at [[Herzogenrath]], [[Germany]].<ref>Morning Report 1944-10-18, Co. K, 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division</ref> He saw his first combat action that month. Six weeks later, he was a sergeant and 3rd Platoon Leader in K Company. On December 21, 1944, [[Private First Class]] Currey was an automatic rifleman in a rifle squad which was guarding a bridge crossing and [[strongpoint]]. He repeatedly exposed himself to hostile fire while firing upon and killing several [[Germany|German]] infantrymen during an early morning [[Germany|German]] tank advance in [[Malmedy]], [[Belgium]]. During the attack, he used a [[bazooka]] and anti-tank [[grenade]]s which caused four enemy tank crews to abandon their tanks and also enabled him to rescue five comrades who had been pinned down in a building by enemy fire.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ww2online.org/view/francis-s-currey#segment-1|title=The Digital Collections of the National WWII Museum : Oral Histories &#124; Oral History|website=www.ww2online.org}}</ref> After the Battle of the Bulge, he became a squad leader, and was awarded the [[Silver Star]] for gallantry in action at his regiment's command post.<ref name="NY Times">{{cite news |last1=Goldstein |first1=Richard |title=Francis Currey, Who at 19 Was a Hero in Battle, Dies at 94 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/09/us/francis-currey-dead.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage |accessdate=October 10, 2019 |work=New York Times |date=October 10, 2019 |ref=NY Times}}</ref>
In March 1945, Currey's company commander recommended him for the Medal of Honor for his actions on December 21. The Medal of Honor was presented to Currey on July 27, 1945, by the 30th Infantry Division division commander, Major General [[Leland Hobbs]], near [[Reims]], [[France]];<ref name="Sullivan Country Democrat">{{Cite web|url=http://www.scdemocratonline.com/news/2013August/06/news2.htm|title=Sullivan County Democrat: Get to know Francis Currey|website=www.scdemocratonline.com|access-date=October 31, 2017|archive-date=April 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418093840/http://www.scdemocratonline.com/news/2013August/06/news2.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> the medal was officially awarded to him on August 17, 1945.<ref name="citation">{{Cite web|publisher=[[United States Army Center of Military History]] |title=Medal of Honor recipients – World War II (A–F) |date=June 8, 2009 |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/wwII-a-f.html |accessdate=June 9, 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616211617/http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/wwII-a-f.html |archivedate=June 16, 2008 }}</ref> After the war was over in Europe, he received his third Purple Heart for being shot in [[Bavaria]] while disarming German soldiers. He returned to the United States in August as a [[first sergeant]] after occupational duty and a stop in England aboard the [[RMS Queen Mary|''Queen Mary'']].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oldhickory30th.com/MedalsPage.htm|title=Home|website=www.oldhickory30th.com}}</ref>
==Later life==
Currey worked as a counselor at the [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs|Veterans Affairs]] Medical Center in [[Albany, New York]], from 1950 until he retired as a supervisor in 1980. After he retired from Veterans Affairs, he started and ran a landscaping business. He also worked at a hotel booking conventions in [[Myrtle Beach]], [[South Carolina]], until 2002.<ref name="Sullivan Country Democrat"/>
Currey died on October 8, 2019, in [[Selkirk, New York]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Local WWII hero, Medal of Honor recipient passes away|url=https://www.news10.com/news/local-wwii-hero-medal-of-honor-recipient-passes-away/ |website=News 10 |accessdate=October 9, 2019 |date=October 8, 2019}}</ref>
==Military awards==
Currey's military awards and decorations:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.30thinfantry.org/awards.shtml|title=About The 30th Infantry Division Veterans of WWII|website=www.30thinfantry.org}}</ref>
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| colspan="12"|[[File:Combat Infantry Badge.svg|230px]]
|-
| colspan="3"|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Medal of Honor ribbon.svg|width=106|alt=A light blue ribbon with five white five pointed stars}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Silver_Star_ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Bronze Star ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=2|type=oak leaf|ribbon=Purple Heart ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak leaf|ribbon=Army Good Conduct Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service star|ribbon=American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=3|type=service-star|ribbon=European-African-Middle_Eastern_ Campaign_ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service star|ribbon=World_War_II_Victory_Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Army of Occupation ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|[[File:Order of Leopold (Belgium) Ribbon bar.svg|106px]]
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
| colspan="13"|[[Combat Infantry Badge]]
|-
|
|[[Medal of Honor]]
|
|-
|[[Silver Star]]
|[[Bronze Star Medal]]
|[[Purple Heart]] <br>with two Bronze [[Oak Leaf Clusters]]
|-
|[[Good Conduct Medal (United States)|Army Good Conduct Medal]]
|[[American Campaign Medal]]
|[[European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal|European Campaign Medal]]<br>with three [[service star|3/16" bronze stars]]
|-
|[[World War II Victory Medal (United States)|World War II Victory Medal]]
|[[Army of Occupation Medal]]
|[[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Belgium Order of Leopold]]
|-
|}
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg|106px}}
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|[[Meritorious Unit Commendation|Army Meritorious Unit Commendation]] with one bronze oak leaf cluster
|-
|}
== Medal of Honor citation ==
Currey's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company K, 120th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division<br>
Place and date: Malmedy, Belgium, December 21, 1944<br>
Entered service at: Hurleyville, N.Y.<br>
Birth: Loch Sheldrake, N.Y.
G.O. No. 69, August 17, 1945
[[File:Armymoh.jpg|140px|left]]
{{blockquote|He was an [[automatic rifle]]man with the 3rd Platoon defending a strong point near Malmedy, Belgium, on 21 December 1944, when the enemy launched a powerful attack. Overrunning [[tank destroyer]]s and antitank guns located near the strong point, German tanks advanced to the 3rd Platoon's position, and, after prolonged fighting, forced the withdrawal of this group to a nearby factory. Sgt. Currey found a bazooka in the building and crossed the street to secure rockets meanwhile enduring intense fire from enemy tanks and hostile infantrymen who had taken up a position at a house a short distance away. In the face of small-arms, machinegun, and artillery fire, he, with a companion, knocked out a tank with 1 shot. Moving to another position, he observed 3 Germans in the doorway of an enemy-held house. He killed or wounded all 3 with his automatic rifle. He emerged from cover and advanced alone to within 50 yards of the house, intent on wrecking it with rockets. Covered by friendly fire, he stood erect, and fired a shot which knocked down half of 1 wall. While in this forward position, he observed 5 Americans who had been pinned down for hours by fire from the house and 3 tanks. Realizing that they could not escape until the enemy tank and infantry guns had been silenced, Sgt. Currey crossed the street to a vehicle, where he procured an armful of antitank grenades. These he launched while under heavy enemy fire, driving the tankmen from the vehicles into the house. He then climbed onto a [[half-track]] in full view of the Germans and fired a machinegun at the house. Once again changing his position, he manned another machine gun whose crew had been killed; under his covering fire the 5 soldiers were able to retire to safety. Deprived of tanks and with heavy infantry casualties, the enemy was forced to withdraw. Through his extensive knowledge of weapons and by his heroic and repeated braving of murderous enemy fire, Sgt. Currey was greatly responsible for inflicting heavy losses in men and material on the enemy, for rescuing 5 comrades, 2 of whom were wounded, and for stemming an attack which threatened to flank his battalion's position.<ref name="citation"/>}}
==Other honors==
* Currey Ave in South Bethlehem, NY is from his last name.
* In 1998, the first Medal of Honor [[G.I. Joe]] action figure was modeled after Currey.<ref name="Bedell2006"/>
* In 2006, Currey became a member of the New York State Senate Veterans' Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/articles/john-j-bonacic/francis-s-currey|title=Francis S. Currey|date=May 28, 2010|website=NY State Senate}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nysenate.gov/honoring-our-veterans|title=Honoring our Veterans|website=NY State Senate}}</ref>
* In 2013, an outside mural of Currey was unveiled in his honor as a living Medal of Honor recipient at the Sullivan Country Museum in Hurleyville.<ref name="Sullivan Country Democrat"/>
* In November 2013, Currey's photo was one of 12 photos of Medal of Honor recipients on the cover sheet of a U.S. Postal Service "World War II Medal of Honor Forever Stamp" packet of 20 Medal of Honor stamps.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2013/11/11/stamps-honor-wwii-medal-of-honor-heroes/|title=WWII hero assigned to new 'post'|first=Philip|last=Messing|date=November 11, 2013}}</ref>
==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[[List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II#C|List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II]]
==References==
{{ACMH}}
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Francis S. Currey}}
*{{Hall of Valor|883|accessdate=September 13, 2010}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Currey, Francis S.}}
[[Category:1925 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Fallsburg, New York]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor]]
[[Category:Military personnel from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Silver Star]]