Clyde L. Choate

Clyde Lee Choate (June 28, 1920 – October 5, 2001) was an American politician from Southern Illinois and a decorated soldier. The Anna, Illinois, resident served 30 years in the Illinois House of Representatives. As a sergeant in the United States Army during World War II, Choate received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for single-handedly destroying a German tank.

Biography Choate was born in West Frankfort, Illinois, one of 12 children born to a coal miner. He and his family moved to Anna, where he worked as a farmer while attending school. He graduated from Anna-Jonesboro High School.

World War II He enlisted in the Army as a private during World War II and served 31 months overseas in the European Theatre. He took part in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany as a sergeant. He was cited for bravery in action on Anzio beachhead in Italy and twice in France. While in France, he refused a battlefield commission.

Illinois House of Representatives At his Medal of Honor presentation ceremony, Choate shared his concerns about the coal industry in southern Illinois. In response, President Truman encouraged him to run for public office. In 1946, Choate was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives as one of three representatives from the 50th district, succeeding fellow Democrat Herbert L. Upchurch. The 50th district included Alexander, Franklin, Pulaski, Union and Williamson counties in southwestern Illinois. Shortly after his election, he married Mabel Madonna Ross of Carbondale, Illinois, on May 10, 1947. They had two daughters: Elizabeth Ellen and Madonna Kim.

The 1960 reapportionment process was stalled by partisan gridlock. In 1964, the Illinois Supreme Court ordered an at-large election for all 177 members of the Illinois House. Voters were given ballots three feet long. Choate was the Democratic downstate coordinator for the at-large election. After a 1965 Illinois Supreme Court Case to resolve the redistricting issue, Choate's home was drawn into the 59th district, which consisted of the territory of the old 50th district (except Franklin County) and added Jackson, Gallatin, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, and Massac. He ran in the 59th district and was elected with Republicans C. L. McCormick and Gale R. Williams.

After winning reelection in 1976, Choate announced his decision to step down on January 8, 1977. William L. Harris, Vice Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Elections, was appointed by local Democratic leaders to succeed him.

After legislative life After retiring from elective politics, Choate became director of external affairs for Southern Illinois University. He attended the May 28, 1999, unveiling of the Medal of Honor Memorial in Indianapolis, Indiana. He died at age 81 at a hospital in Carbondale, Illinois, from complications of congestive heart failure. He was buried at Anna Cemetery in Anna.

Military honors In addition to the following American military honors, Choate was awarded the French Fourragère.

Medal of Honor citation Staff Sergeant Choate's Medal of Honor citation reads:He commanded a tank destroyer near Bruyeres, France, on October 25, 1944. Our infantry occupied a position on a wooded hill when, at dusk, an enemy Mark IV tank and a company of infantry attacked, threatening to overrun the American position and capture a command post 400 yards to the rear. S/Sgt. Choate's tank destroyer, the only weapon available to oppose the German armor, was set afire by 2 hits. Ordering his men to abandon the destroyer, S/Sgt. Choate reached comparative safety. He returned to the burning destroyer to search for comrades possibly trapped in the vehicle risking instant death in an explosion which was imminent and braving enemy fire which ripped his jacket and tore the helmet from his head. Completing the search and seeing the tank and its supporting infantry overrunning our infantry in their shallow foxholes, he secured a bazooka and ran after the tank, dodging from tree to tree and passing through the enemy's loose skirmish line. He fired a rocket from a distance of 20 yards, immobilizing the tank but leaving it able to spray the area with cannon and machinegun fire. Running back to our infantry through vicious fire, he secured another rocket, and, advancing against a hail of machinegun and small-arms fire reached a position 10 yards from the tank. His second shot shattered the turret. With his pistol he killed 2 of the crew as they emerged from the tank; and then running to the crippled Mark IV while enemy infantry sniped at him, he dropped a grenade inside the tank and completed its destruction. With their armor gone, the enemy infantry became disorganized and was driven back. S/Sgt. Choate's great daring in assaulting an enemy tank single-handed, his determination to follow the vehicle after it had passed his position, and his skill and crushing thoroughness in the attack prevented the enemy from capturing a battalion command post and turned a probable defeat into a tactical success.