Private First Class Samuel "Doc" Pewewardy , Comanche
US Army, World War II
Company G, 423rd Infantry Regiment
106th Infantry Division (the Golden Lions)
Captured on December 19, 1944
Liberated on April 2, 1945

PFC Pewewardy was from the Lawton area. He was drafted on November 9, 1942 and was a Light Weapons Infantryman. He and his unit in LeHavre, France on December 6, 1944 and traveled 270 miles through the mountains of Belgium and Luxembourg from December 8-10 to the St. Vith area to take up positions along the Siegfried Line in Belgium. During the fourth day of continuous heavy, intense and bloody fighting, remnants of his surrounded Regiment surrendered after no hop of survival. They were low on ammunition and out of rations, and trapped in valley with German tank, T-88 artillery and Infantry on the high ground firing down on them. He was forced to march in one of the bitterest winters in European history to a railroad depot and then transported to Stalag 9B outside of Bad Ord Hessen-Nessau, Prussia, where he was help captive for 104 days. During his captivity he was placed in the Bad Soden Hospital where his appendicitis was removed. PFC Pewewardy said, "This allowed him to survive because the conditions and food were somewhat better than in camp." He was liberated by elements of the 44th Infantry Division. His awards include the American Campaign Medal, the EAME Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Prisoner of War Medal, the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Infantry-man Badge. PFC Pewewardy later retired, as a Staff Sergeant, from the US Army serving from 1949 to 1967.