World War II veteran Clarence Smoyer, 96, sits before receiving the Bronze Star at the World War II Memorial, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)
World War II veterans Joseph Caserta, left, and Clarence Smoyer, 96, embrace before a ceremony to present the Bronze Star to Smoyer at the World War II Memorial, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)
World War II veteran Clarence Smoyer, 96, poses for a picture in front of a Sherman tank after receiving the Bronze Star, near the World War II Memorial, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)
Instead, he found a full Army color guard and ceremony awarding him a Bronze Star, almost 75 years after the battle that made him a hero.
Smoyer, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, was part of a famous March 6, 1945, duel in Cologne, Germany, where his Pershing tank destroyed a German Panther tank. The battle was captured on film and Smoyer became known as the “Hero of Cologne.”
Smoyer was told he would receive the Bronze Star, but a few days later he ran afoul of a minor disciplinary issue that cost him his medal. A military police officer saw him searching his pockets for bubble gum to give to a crowd of German children and charged him with fraternization with the enemy. Meanwhile, Smoyer’s tank commander and the military cameraman who filmed the battle received Bronze Stars of their own.
Smoyer’s story was detailed in “Spearhead” by author Adam Makos , and it was Makos who helped engineer Wednesday’s events. He helped convince the Army to reverse what he saw as an injustice. And he brought Smoyer to Washington on the pretense of a book-signing at the Pentagon.
As he stepped out of the car and saw the crowds gathered at Washington’s World War II Memorial, Smoyer smiled broadly and asked, “Am I getting a Bronze Star?”
The ceremony featured an actual Sherman tank, several of Smoyer’s old World War II comrades and a speech by Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey.