World War I hero Sgt. Willie Sandlin, who three times charged single-handedly into German machine gun emplacements to neutralize 24 enemy soldiers, has been reinterred, along with his wife, in a special ceremony at the newly dedicated Kentucky Veterans Cemetery Southeast in Leslie County.
One hundred years ago, the Eastern Kentucky’s native received the Medal of Honor for his heroic action at Bois de Forges on Sept. 26, 1918. Only Sgt. Alvin York received more citations for valor in World War I.
Sgt. Sandlin’s Medal of Honor citation reads: “He showed conspicuous gallantry in action by advancing alone directly on a machine gun nest which was holding up the line with its fire. He killed the crew with a grenade and enabled the line to advance. Later in the day he attacked alone and put out of action two other machine gun nests, setting a splendid example of bravery and coolness to his men.”
The extended family of World War I hero Sgt. Willie Sandlin stands beside a portrait of the soldier from Leslie County who received the Medal of Honor in 1949. Sandlin and his wife were reinterred in the Veterans Cemetery Southeast in Hyden Tuesday. (Governor’s office photo)
Sgt. Sandlin and his wife were the first burials at the cemetery.
“Sgt. Sandlin was such an iconic figure, it seems perfect and fitting that he be the first burial for this cemetery,” said local resident Dean Osborne.
Sandlin died in 1949 of lung infections caused by his exposure to poison gas during the Battle of Argonne. He was buried at Hurricane Cemetery in Hyden but later moved to Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville, where his widow was interred with him.
“We are deeply honored to welcome Sgt. Willie Sandlin home to Hyden, where he raised his family and continued his service to country and community,” said Commissioner Benjamin Adams of the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs.
“As chairman of the WWI Centennial Commission, it is an honor to participate in the Commemoration of Sgt. Willie Sandlin, one of the true heroes of WWI,” said Kentucky native and Vietnam veteran Terry Hamby. “Sgt. Sandlin set the standard for soldiers for the next 100 years. His humility and unassuming leadership serve as our example from then until now.”
As work began to prepare a site for the future Kentucky Veterans Cemetery South East in Leslie County, Sgt. Sandlin’s immediate family, including his daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, along with members of the Leslie County community, started working to bring the Sandlin’s home.
Sgt. Sandlin
“Sgt. Sandlin is very special to the people of Leslie County,” Osborne. “He was well known here not just for his military service, but for his service to the community to help eradicate adult illiteracy. He never spoke about that day in the war, but often said how much more he could have done in his life had he been able to read and write better than he could.”
Osborne credited many people in Hyden and Leslie County for helping to make the state veterans cemetery a reality, as well as make it possible to bring Willie and Belvia Sandlin home. “With the honor of having a veterans cemetery on our soil, we thought it would be wholly fitting if the family would agree to have him brought back to his home.”
Staff from Kentucky Veterans Cemetery South East, KDVA, and Zachary Taylor National Cemetery helped with securing necessary permissions; Greg Walker at the Walker Funeral Home assisted with transportation; and Fred and Joel Brashear at the Hyden Citizens Bank and the Leslie County Community Foundation with helped with funding.
“The principals in making this move happen are Sgt. Sandlin’s immediate family,” Osborne said. “They have worked very hard to get this done. You’ll rarely find a place in America that has the esteem and respect for veterans as mountains of Kentucky. Sgt. Sandlin was such an iconic figure, it seems perfect and fitting that he be the first burial for this cemetery.”
More than 100 attended the memorial ceremony at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery South East, including two dozen members of Sgt. Sandlin’s extended family to the fifth generation: from granddaughter to great-great-grandchildren.
From the Office of the Governor
