Master Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble, A Soldier's Story
Master Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble, A Soldier's Story
Born on May 16, 1917, in Waubay, South Dakota, Master Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble was a proud member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of the Dakota Sioux Nation. Long before the battlefield would define his legacy, he was known as a gifted athlete, an exceptional baseball player reportedly scouted by the Chicago White Sox. His strength, discipline, and powerful throwing arm would later serve him in a very different arena.
Keeble enlisted in the North Dakota National Guard and served with the 164th Infantry Regiment. His first deployment came during World War II, where he fought in the Pacific Theater, including the brutal campaign at Guadalcanal. Combat there was relentless and unforgiving, demanding endurance, adaptability, and resolve.
After returning home, Keeble continued to serve his community, teaching at the Wahpeton Indian School. But when the Korean War erupted, he once again answered the call.
On October 20, 1951, during fierce fighting near Hill 675 (often associated with the larger engagement around Hill 770), Keeble’s unit was pinned down by intense enemy fire. Machine gun nests had stalled the advance and threatened devastating casualties. With calm determination, Keeble moved forward alone, using his remarkable accuracy with grenades to destroy multiple enemy positions one by one. His actions broke the stalemate and allowed his fellow soldiers to move forward.
He was seriously wounded during this engagement, and the injuries he sustained ultimately ended his combat career. For his conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, though the decoration was not presented until years after his death, finally recognizing the full measure of his heroism.
Keeble’s courage was never theatrical. It was steady. Purposeful. Rooted in responsibility to the men beside him.
Following his military retirement, he returned again to teaching and community life. He died on January 28, 1982, after a long struggle with tuberculosis.
Master Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble rests in Sisseton, South Dakota, his legacy woven into both American military history and the enduring strength of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate people.
He once said, “Fear did not make a coward out of me.” It didn’t. And his life proved it.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
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