Peninsula In Passage

W. Frank Odom William Frank Odom lived off Bennett’s Pasture Road on the farm now owned by Dr. George Cornell. He was born February 6, 1897 and was a sergeant in the U. S. Army. He died December 14, 1918, from wounds suffered in battle and was award the Purple Heart. W. Glenn Hurdle Glenn Hurdle was a private in the army, serving in the 93rd Infantry Division, a “colored” segregated unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. The 93rd earned the nickname Blue Helmets from the French Army with whom they fought during the Second Battle of the Marne. Officers and men of Hurdle’s regiment earned 71 War Crosses with special citations for valor and merit, and 21 Distinguished Service

Crosses. Many of the men were veterans of the Spanish-American War. Hurdle’s citation for the Distinguished Service Cross he earned reads HURDLE, WILLIAM G. Private, U.S. Army Machine-Gun Company, 370th Infantry Regiment, 93d Division, A.E.F. Date of Action: September 30, 1918 Citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Private William G. Hurdle (ASN: 2465187), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Machine-Gun Company, 370th Infantry Regiment, 93d Division, A.E.F., near Ferme la Folie, France, 30 September 1918. While under heavy enemy fire Private Hurdle volunteered and accompanied by another soldier, rescued a wounded comrade from an exposed position. He also performed valuable service as liaison agent, and under very heavy fire succeeded in cases where others had failed. General Orders No. 46, W.D., 1919 Home Town: Driver, VA

91