William R Grove

William was born on the 16th of May 1872, in Montezuma, Iowa, where he grew up as the second oldest of his nine siblings. His father had served in the 15th Iowa Infantry during the Civil War and later owned various newspaper companies. William and his siblings were expected to help at the companies, and he became a printer’s devil, an apprentice position that mixed tubs of ink and other tasks, at the age of eight. In 1892, he enlisted in the Army in Colorado and his enlisted time was short lived when the 1st Colorado Infantry Regiment sent troops to the Philippines in support of the Spanish-American War. William was a Major by the time the Philippine Insurrection began, and he received a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel while he was with the 36th US Volunteer Infantry. It was his actions on the 9th of September 1899 that would later earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

In advance of his regiment, rushed to the assistance of his colonel, charging, pistol in hand, seven insurgents, and compelling surrender of all not killed or wounded.

The Colonel mentioned in his citation is James Franklin Bell, who we covered on episode 504, and three months later, William was promoted to Colonel. He had been twice recommended for the Medal of Honor, received five citations for bravery, been promoted three times, and had been wounded once during his almost three-year deployment to the Philippines. Upon his return to the States, William received a commission in the regular Army, and he would return to the Philippines for an assignment, as well as being put in charge of the food services for the 1913 Gettysburg reunion. His additional assignments included serving as the Chief Quartermaster at the Panama Canal in 1914 and then to reorganize the food services division of the entire Army, both at home and abroad, as a newly promoted Colonel at the US’ entry into World War 1. William received the Distinguished Service Medal and the French Legion of Honour for his service during the war. When the Purple Heart and Silver Star were created in 1932, he received them both, with the Silver Star having four oak leaf clusters – all five awards were from his actions in the Philippines. His final assignment in the Army was to Poland to oversee the American Relief Administration, where his success was noted by Herbert Hoover and the Polish Prime Minister.

He returned home and he retired from the Army after 21 years of service. William worked for the Wilson and Company meat packing company both in Chicago, Illinois, and in Rockaway, New Jersey, and other than a brief return to the American Relief Administration, he remained with Wilson and Company until 1940. He retired as their Vice President in Chicago to Florida, where he took up horticulture. He and his wife, Flora, had two sons and on the 25th of June 1952, William Remsburg Grove died from a heart attack at the age of 80. He is buried with his wife in the Manasota memorial Park in Bradenton, Florida: Section C, Lot 120.