LUCIAN ADAMS (1922 ~ 2003). Medal of Honor Recipient Lucian Adams was born on October 26, 1922, in Port Arthur, Texas. He entered military service in Port Arthur and served in Company I, 3rd Battalion, 30th Infantry, Third Division of the U.S. Army as a Staff Sergeant.
On October 28, 1944, near St. Die, France, his unit had attempted to reopen a supply line through the Mortagne Forest when it came under German attack. Ordered to take his company on a charge, but finding three of his men dead and six wounded, Adams charged forward alone dodging from tree to tree and firing a borrowed assault rifle. Ignoring intense machine gun fire and grenade explosions, he made his way close enough to a machine gun nest to destroy it with a grenade. He was then attacked with grenades by a German soldier standing ten yards away, but killed his attacker with a single burst from his gun. Charging again into concentrated enemy fire, he destroyed another machine gun nest with a grenade and forced the surrender of two infantrymen. Despite the remainder of the German group concentrating their fire on him, Adams continued through the woods and killed five more enemy soldiers and destroyed a third machine gun nest. Adams killed nine German soldiers, destroyed three machine gun nests, and cleared the woods of hostile elements. It was for this action that he was presented the Congressional Medal of Honor on April 23, 1945, at Zepman Stadium in Nuremberg, Germany.
After the war, Adams was a benefits counselor for 40 years with the Veterans Administration in San Antonio. Later he worked as a consultant on veterans affairs for United States Congressman Frank Tejada. San Antonio honored him in 1994 by naming Interstate 37, from Interstate 10 to Loop 410, the Lucian Adams Freeway. Adams died March 31, 2003, and was buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio on April 5, 2003.
Bibliography: "Above and Beyond: The Medal of Honor in Texas," Capitol Visitors Center, State Preservation Board of Texas. Find a Grave.com, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7323745&pt=Lucian%20Adams, August 25, 2003. Heroes of World War II, http://worldwariihistory.info/Medal-of-Honor/France.html, July 29, 2003. San Antonio Express-News: November 11, 1982, pg. 1A; May 12, 1994, pg. 1B, 3B; April 1, 2003, pg. 1B, 5B. San Antonio Express-News, Southside Sun: November 2, 1994, pg. 1, 3. Senate Resolution #604, Texas Senate, April 10, 2003, http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlo/78Rbilltext/SR00604.htm.
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