Homer L. Wise

Homer Lee Wise (February 27, 1917 – April 22, 1974) was a United States Army soldier who received the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.

After dropping out of school and working odd jobs he joined the Army at the age of 24 and after completing training was sent to Europe during World War II to fight in the Allied invasion of Italy. He continued fighting in various locations and battles throughout Europe, receiving the Medal of Honor, Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his actions in combat.

After he was discharged from the Army he worked at a local college before re-enlisting in the Army. He retired as a first sergeant in 1966. He was one of the six honorary pall bearers at the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknowns and was a guest of the President of the United States at the inaugurations of Presidents Eisenhower, Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson.

When he died in 1974 he was buried in Darien, Connecticut.

Early life and family Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Wise grew up with a love of hunting and fishing. He left school after the eighth grade and worked odd jobs in Texas. At age 24 in 1941, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in Baton Rouge.

While stationed at Camp Edwards in 1942 on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, Wise met Madolyn DiSesa; the couple became engaged in January 1943 and married on February 12, 1945. DiSesa was from Stamford, Connecticut, and for the next 30 years they lived together in Stamford, having one child, a son Jeffrey, in 1949. Jeffrey died in 1990 at age 40.

World War II service From April to September 1943, Wise trained with the 36th Infantry Division in North Africa. He first entered combat on September 9 during the landings at Salerno, Italy, and continued to serve in the Italian Campaign for the next year. He fought in Naples and Rome and, on January 7, 1944, earned the Silver Star. to raise funds and successfully erected a Bronze Statue of World War II Medal of Honor Recipient Master Sergeant Homer L. Wise. The statue was dedicated on May 26, 2013, in Veterans Park in Stamford, Connecticut.

There is also a small park, the "Homer Lee Wise Memorial Park" at the corner of Chester and Bedford Streets in Stamford, Connecticut.