Robert D. Maxwell

Robert Dale Maxwell (October 26, 1920 – May 11, 2019) was a United States Army combat soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration for valor—the Medal of Honor—for his heroism in France during World War II.

Early life Maxwell was born on October 26, 1920, in Boise, Idaho. He was raised by his grandparents on their farm in Quinter, Kansas. He dropped out of school in the seventh grade to help his family on their farm. During the Great Depression, his family traveled to Oregon to pick fruit, but ran out of money on the way back to Kansas so they settled in Colorado.

Military service Maxwell was drafted into the United States Army and entered service from Larimer County, Colorado, in June 1941. He was offered and refused "conscientious objector" status by the army for being a Quaker. He received basic training at Camp Roberts, California and training in advanced infantry tactics at Camp Meade in Maryland.

In February 1942, Maxwell was sent overseas and landed in North Africa at Casablanca with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. He was assigned to Headquarters Company as a battalion communications technician, a "wire man." He carried a heavy roll of cable and was tasked with stringing phone lines to the command post. He began the war armed with a M1 Garand rifle, but was later reclassified as a non-combatant and carried only a .45 caliber pistol. He spent the next few months recovering at a hospital in Naples. He also received an oak leaf cluster to his Silver Star, which was awarded for an earlier action on September 7, 1944. and later helped establish an auto mechanics program at Central Oregon Community College. From 1966 through 1986, Maxwell taught auto mechanics at Lane Community College in Eugene.

In 2011, at the age of 90, he received his high school diploma from Bend Senior High School.

Medal of Honor citation

Maxwell's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Rank and organization: Technician Fifth Grade, U.S. Army, 7th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division Place and date: Near Besançon, France, 7 September 1944 Entered service at: Larimer County, Colo. G.O. No. 24, 6 April 1945

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 7 September 1944, near Besancon, France. Technician 5th Grade Maxwell and 3 other soldiers, armed only with .45 caliber automatic pistols, defended the battalion observation post against an overwhelming onslaught by enemy infantrymen in approximately platoon strength, supported by 20mm. flak and machinegun fire, who had infiltrated through the battalion's forward companies and were attacking the observation post with machinegun, machine pistol, and grenade fire at ranges as close as 10 yards. Despite a hail of fire from automatic weapons and grenade launchers, Technician 5th Grade Maxwell aggressively fought off advancing enemy elements and, by his calmness, tenacity, and fortitude, inspired his fellows to continue the unequal struggle. When an enemy hand grenade was thrown in the midst of his squad, Technician 5th Grade Maxwell unhesitatingly hurled himself squarely upon it, using his blanket and his unprotected body to absorb the full force of the explosion. This act of instantaneous heroism permanently maimed Technician 5th Grade Maxwell, but saved the lives of his comrades in arms and facilitated maintenance of vital military communications during the temporary withdrawal of the battalion's forward headquarters. alt=A metal device depicting a blue bar with a rifle, in front of a wreath of silver leaves.

French Legion of Honor (Chevalier-Knight) (France)Croix de Guerre (France)

Namings and honors In 1984, a modern bridge was built on the Deschutes River upstream from the narrow wooden General Patch Bridge, which was built during World War II in Bend, Oregon. On 11 September 2004, the modern bridge was named the Robert D. Maxwell Veterans Memorial Bridge to honor Maxwell. Patch who commanded the U.S. Seventh Army during World War II, had recommended Maxwell for the Medal of Honor. In 2012, Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, named its student veterans center after Maxwell. In November 2013, Maxwell's photo was one of 12 photos of service uniformed Medal of Honor recipients on the cover sheet of a U.S. Postal Service "World War II Medal of Honor Forever Stamp" packet of 20 Medal of Honor stamps. His photograph is the last one located on the sheet. In May 2025, Central Oregon Community College dedicated its new veterans center as the Robert D. Maxwell Veterans Resource Center.