Medal of honor recipient killed by his family - Finding Antoine Gaujot Mingo County WV
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- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
- Medal of honor recipient killed by his family - Finding Antoine Gaujot . This story turned bad as we went along. Mingo County WV
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/ @thehillbillyfiles
I served with a man, in an engagement in Vietnam he saved the lives of 38 men by staying behind after an ambush and systematically sniping the enemy to stop their advance giving time for the choppers to fly in to lift us out. He was out on his own for over 2 hours, they tried to kill him with mortars, machine guns, squads attacking him, he fought them off. When only 6 of us were left, we provided support for him to evacuate across the paddy under fire. Everyone there knew he would be decorated for his courage, I lost contact with him, years later I met others who had been there and they told me he had never been recognised for his courage. It turned out the Officer who had led us into the ambush had “declined” to write up his actions. He left the Army and returned to his parents farm, worked on the farm, later I think he suffered from ptsd, drank to excess, he froze to death one winter after his car broke down and he tried to walk home across country, never married, he was an only child. I sat with his Mother and talked about him at his funeral, she never knew what he had done or where he had been in Vietnam, he had never talked about it, never been a member of a veterans association.
Amazing and tragic story, thanks for sharing
There are hundreds of men like this that was in the Army and Marines never to be recognised for what they had to do not for them selves but for others . And a lot of officers way worse than this .....The military is way different than what people are lead to believe !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Of course the officer didn't recommend, officers like that piss me off. I had a friend tell me about his unit sent out to get an LZ made. When they got to the area everyone in the unit wouldn't go out into the open, saying something was wrong. The officer insisted, no one budged. He was so mad he went out and said see there's nothing wrong, he was shot and killed by a sniper right after saying that.
I can under stand why he never belonged to the VA that give's them a second chance to kill your ass and take you off to rolls....
@@kensnyder9372 Yes,as a veteran myself,I can tell you that the photograph with the soldier with a clean haircut and the American flag in the background is very deceptive.These people give off an appearance at their fittest and in the prime of their life of being extraordinary but we know thats not the case.Some are as the man described above ,but others can be so despicable ! Its all in the heart like Martin Luther King described. Within that heart is the content that determines how you will live your life. Today I'm living with the burden of my own son,my only child, ripping my heart out of my own chest. That baby that I once cherished and held in my arms, purposely destroyed my life the other day and now I must go on living in sadness and emptieness for the rest of my life.
SEMPER FI to all our great American Heroes who have and deserved to be awarded this Medal in their life. This Marine Vet salutes you all for your action.
This story is heart breaking. God Bless these brothers for sacrificing to serve in WW1. I thank them for their service.
Thank you Teresa
As a child, I lived in Williamson with my mother and two sisters while my father was overseas. I have a McCoy great-grandmother and an aunt who married a Hatfield. I love and miss West Virginia and Kentucky. Thank you for your glimpses into the people and history of the area. It almost feels like going home.
Very interesting story. Hope it's included in the new Medal of Honor Museum being built in Arlington, Texas and hope you share it with them. I know of a couple of veterans lacking correct headstones. So many veterans today are being cremated by families and not given burials in national cemeteries. Tragic. From a drafted, disabled, and Republic of Vietnam combat veteran '68.
Thank you, I will see about letting them know, Thank you for your service Sir
In country '67-'68. I came home unscathed and mentally whole. Many of my brothers did not. I am fortunate. I have never depended on the thanks of those who were not there. My time was easy. A line from a poem reads, "they also serve who only stand and wait." Our country has always ignored and disrespected veterans. Just review the treatment of Vet's seeking to obtain the promises made them in 1919/20. And consider that Washington's soldiers starved because of inattention. Handed a shit sandwich once again. God knows how we served. It is about your companions, brothers, no one else. Combat veteran or mechanic... in country exposed you in some way. Thank God for those who reported for duty, regardless of why they ended up there.
Many of us just don't give a damn about honors and memorials...we did our duty and have our memories...the good, the bad and the ugly.
Sad . Familycide or murder of a family member occurs in all locations , ethnic groups and economic status at some point ? A terrible trait within our species . See the Patterson murders ( pocahontas mine operator ) in Huntington ,West Va. 1932 ? I think they had a member of the Watson family ( Albemarle county , VA. ) running their company store before he died of Cholora ? The two families corresponded until the Patterson's death . The script system and health clinic may have originated on the Watson's apple orchard plantation long before . Many connections and patterns ? No pun intended . Thanks
Thank you Leo, I can listen to you and your history telling. As a Vietnam vet it means a lot to me, and I honer them even at this late date.
Thank you Steve!
Thank you for your service. ❤️
This IS a story to be told to the public ... Thank you , Leo.
Thank you 🙏
Sad but great story. Thank you for telling it and bringing those Hero's back to life so their memory can live in our hearts.
Every time we say an ancestors name with reverence we are not only keeping their memory alive but also offering prayers for them. Thank you for resurrecting their stories for the current generations. They deserve to be remembered.
Thanks Karen
You did such a heartfelt account of this man and the family. Thank you
Thanks Marlena
I want to thank you both for what you do. I can hardly walk. So to see what you see and hear the stories you uncover in a way that kind of makes me feel like I'm there, well, it means a lot to me. You two are wonderful. Thank you so very, very much.
That means more than you know, thank you
What a heartbreaking story. Thank you for all you do for us , Leo for the footwork & Heather for research & editing. There two of you are much appreciated. God Bless you both🙏 🙏
Thank you Beth!
What a tragedy. This was a story that needed to be told. You told it so beautifully & respectfully. I wonder why one is buried in Arlington & one is not. I'm sorry that the story you wanted to tell was not the story you found but it was a really good one anyway
Thank you so much
Thanks for the honesty without bias. In W VA it's a conventional wisdom that "... there's always a Hatfield involved." Pure and simple, straight reporting here. Thanks for the video!
Keep up the good work, and tell it true. TJ Hatfield, Esq., (attorney) former NCO USMC, '89 to '95.
Thank you for your thorough research and giving us this story of two American heros.
Thank you 🙏
My first wife her first cousin is married to a Hatfield. They were really nice people and I enjoyed their company. I asked him one time if he was related and he said yes and that was about it and we started to talk about trucks. We both changed the subject to a one we both held a passion for. Great Video Tragic Story
Thanks 🙏
My grandmother had a nephew (Albert Forrest) who won the Medal of Honor during World War One. My condolences to the family.
Several of my uncle's fought in WWII and two of them were subjected to extremely traumatic events. One was captured in the Battle of the Bulge and nearly died from malnutrition in a German POW camp. The Germans kept marching them back towards Germany so they would not be liberated. The other uncle was a staff sergeant in the 38th Infantry and won two bronze stars fighting in the Phillipines. They seldom spoke of their experiences, they just wanted to live ordinary lives but they were heroes to us.
My great uncle was captured by the Japanese at Bataan and he survived the death march, was taken back to Japan and was working in the coal mines as slave labor when the bombs were dropped. His guards were told to execute all of the prisoners but the guards abandoned them instead. He never talked about it, had severe issues and hated guns and the Japanese army vets. War was war and both did bad things but he had flash backs until he died. His name was William Claude Simpson. Tiny town of Tanglewood Texas was where he grew up and later died.
I swear the researcher and host of this channel are the best on UA-cam... Good stuff guys....Keep them coming and I'll keep watching... Thanks for sharing!!!!!
How nice! thank you so much
Such a sad tragedy. I appreciate you both for researching and telling us these stories. Stay safe out there. ❤️❤️
Thanks Nancy!
I wish I found this channel sooner. I will watch more videos as this one is fascinating.
Leo, you have what I think of as the true southern accent, calm, measured speech. My mother's people were in Arkansas and I thank you for bringing their voices back to me.
Thank you so much!
Thank you for your service RIP how sad.
Good and sad story. Thanks for your efforts and well-researched backgrounds.
Thanks for listening
Greetings from Canada. Your stories are so interesting! Thank you.
Just started watching your videos. I have enjoyed every one so far thank you.
Great to hear William!
I felt like crying.Why? So senseless ! Sometimes like in my own life,even the closest people to you ,that you love sooo much,can even turn on you.Just over a few dollars!
Thank you for including a family with French origins as heros!
Thanks for the story, and helping others to remembers our Heroes. (I believe you may be mistaken about him being “the only MoH awarded for a Peacekeeping Operation. Shugart and Gordon both received the MoH for their actions during Operation Restore Hope in Somalia on 3 OCT 1993)
Thank you, actually I said receiving them in 2 different wars, 5 other sets of brothers have received them in a same war.
I never knew about these aspects of the H&M story. This makes the feud so much richer.
My boyfriend's Uncle was a Hatfield of the same lore as the "Hatfield & McCoy" fame. I can safely state that the Hatfields are a lively bunch, but not to the extent of the original Hatfields & McCoys.
Sad to hear about Medal of Honor recipients to be forgotten and unknown! God bless you sirs!🇺🇸🤔
Another great video by the hillbilly files! You guys are awesome.
Thanks Bill!
LEO , YOU DID A GREAT JOB ON THIS STORY OF 2 OF AMERICA'S HIGHEST DECORATED WAR HEROES ❣️ THANK-YOU VERY MUCH ‼️
Thank you. Very much appreciated.
Most people have never heard of the Phillipine American War 1899-1912. It was very bloody with unspeakable atrocities on both sides.
I can't imagine
God bless our veterans! My dad fought in Vietnam and would not speak much about it. It was traumatizing to him. Thank you for telling their stories!
Thanks for watching
The intire lot of this is heartbreaking, how a juvenile can do such a thing especially in those days is mind boggling. How one can commit such an act and live with ones conscious to myself is a complete mystery.
Its hard to comprehend
how could he do such a thing? Hollywood horror film producers can not invent the savagery that hillbillies perpetrate, and mostly on each other. did 33 years on a big city fire department and the most violent scenes we would come upon involved the hillrods. they think different, or don't think at all. horrible ending to an honorable life
@@marcuscicero9587 My parents are from Lee County VA, raised during the depression area both from large families. Lee , Co is the western most County in the state still a poor area in the Cumberland mountains, foothills to the Smokie Mts. Nothing like this ever happened there , spent all my summers there as a young boy and the area was populated will hard working coals miners, families and salt of the earth good men and women. This is my personal experiences and hence the reason for my question. That said yes , there's evil and wickedness everywhere even in the mountains sometimes.
by the grace of God I got to work above ground in my career. tough people to go in a mine for a living. thanks for the response Mike. mostly fire and police have to work with the worst of all kinds of folks.
Quite a Great Story!!!
Thank You, Sir...
Chuck in Michigan
U.S. Navy Retired
Thank you 🙏
Thank you for bringing this story to light and giving thanks to 2 special brothers. ❤️. The town you happened to show a landscape shot if looks so beautiful. Please advise the name of the town.
Williamson, WV.
This is a very moving story. I appreciate the effort you folks do and making these.
Thanks Joe
Oh, bless their hearts. I would like to do a video about the Brothers or perhaps a birthday tribute to them when the dates occur. Thank you for bringing the story to us and remembering these true heros and sharing their story with such respect.
Thank you so much. Stay safe. Rest in peace, you are not forgotten.
Sounds great, thanks for watching
This is a beautiful story and video. Leo is very moving telling the story
Thank you!
This is heartbreaking.
Thank You for all the work you ,do
Thanks Joan =)
Thank you for the research and time it took to do this. It was amazing, this is the cool end of UA-cam.
Wow, thank you!
Just found you today. Great story telling. Now I must go Binge watch. New Subbie.
Thank you for joining!
Wow what an amazing story so sad thanks for sharing 🇺🇲🇺🇲
Thank you
Wow so sad for the brothers 😢, all your stories are so interesting.
Sad story indeed! Thanks for sharing this! Greetings from pleasants county.
Thanks for watching!
Loved this story. You don't hear about these sad, sad stories because the families had rather not talk about it. Too sad, To the heroes, thank you for your service. Rest in peace.
I subscribed because I watched a couple of your videos and I really enjoyed them, I also love historical events,places,people so keep up the great work
Awesome! Thank you!
Great Video thanks for taking the time to share this story with us Have a great day
Thank you Jamie
Heaps of stories like that, a long time ago, most of the participants are gone. I found that letting it run through you washes out the bitter and leaves you a bit cleaner and ready to be kind, patient and to try to be loving.
This is a very sad story 😢. I wonder if the county prosecutor charged James with anything at all. That may be why you could not find court record. Thank you Leo and Heather, for telling this story.
Did this war hero have a son ? .... little bastard wouldn't escape justice if he had murdered my dad !
I wonder how old this "boy" was?
@@xtbum3339 15
sad to think he survived war only to be killed hometown by family and other brother dies also that just sad thank you for sharing with us
Your welcome, thanks for watching
First of your stories I’ve commented on,I am a life long history nut. I grew up across the river from the Saratoga battlefield the turning point of the revolution, and a little west of the battle of Bennington ( Wallomsac NY where it was fought) .You do a great job!
thanks!
My Grandpa was in first infantry, w.w.1.. he was sent to Mexico too, but my Grandma said that she was sure he spent most of his time in a Cantina !! 🤭 my father was in the First Infantry also, but in W.W.2. He served in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and then became permanently disabled when he got to Omaha Beach.. 😢 Love Grandma Debbie
Found this by sheer chance. What a thoroughly tragic and yet enjoyable piece of history. Excellent video, thank you! Greetings from south west France.
This video was well done and well researched! I will show it to my West Virginia history students! Thank you so much!
Awesome! Thank you!
Great story on these heroes. It's too bad they died the way they did. You are correct, Leo, that if we did not have these brave service men who knows what the US would be like.
God Bless our Veterans and thank you all 🇺🇸
How very sad thank them for their service to our country hard to believe he would kill his uncle over 12 dollars and then ad to the death of his father so very sad thank you Leo and Heather for your research and bringing this story about 2 medal of honor heroes that we would not have known about otherwise may they rest in peace be safe and can't wait for the next one
Thank you Deb!
In today's money, it's well over $200. Our grandparents earned and spent REAL money backed by silver; some of us still remember that.
@@theallseeingmaster- I remember using Silver Dollars everyday for money in 1962 Moneta Wyoming.
@@px421alpha5
In my almost 70 year of age, I have only once ever seen an actual silver Silver Dollar ever being spent; I cannot imagine using them for actual money, Silver Dollars are precious gifts.
Wow, what a SAD, TRAGIC story of 2 American Heroes I wasn’t even aware of. Yes, the ‘boy’’ NEEDED disciplining alright. And if I MIGHT suggest: Zeroing in on HALF the LR any document at LEAST a few seconds..even long enough for a person tp pause the video long enough to read an area of interest. Great story and vid!
I enjoy listening to you. You have such a soothing voice.
Leo, your a great host! Glad I found your channel!
Thanks and welcome!
I love this channel so much!!! I wish i could donate to you!
Good job on saying his name... I worked with a relative of his, and saw several pictures from his album showing the family, as well as the MOH ceremony.
Thanks 🙏
Found your channel this morning I've been going back and watching them all. Great content, I subscribed.
We feel honored, thank you Maddie!
This story gave me chills! Wow
Thank you!
Thank You, I never heard of these Heroes or their sad deaths, I will now research both, again thank You Sir,
Appreciate you watching
Thank you for sharing this, for doing the research and the work it took to make the video and for keeping these memories alive.
Our pleasure!
It's amazing that his brother julian was also a MoH recipient. Antoine got his in the Philippines and Julian got his going after Pancho villa in Mexico.
What a great story and a great channel.
Thank you kindly!
Yes Joe you and Heather do one super job in putting together this show. The last two are just Super well done. It is very hard to upstand how and why. The Men that layed it on the line getting M.H. as way to many of them are forgot even before the ground has settled on the grave. I know of a few M.H. W. that some cannot tell you where they are bared. Any way Keep up this job you have taken on. Love you two . Be safe and watch your six (back)
Thanks James 😊
@@thehillbillyfiles Hey If you two find it hard to read my. Replays to your video please remember I'm a yankee and went to a school in the North. We did not learn how spell real good (LOLO) I;'m being bad. Hell I could have stated I can not spell because i was a football player in the 50. and that all i had to do was play football Joe and I know some real dab jokes
What an interesting and poignant story. A sad ending for a hero. And just for future reference, ‘au’ in French is pronounced o, Gau would be ‘go’.
Thank you
Life is just not fair. My neighbor was drafted, 2 trips to Vietnam, survived, came home, was killed in a car wreck less than 2 weeks home. I was only 10, but was "in love" with my neighbor. 😉 I struggled with that for years. Didn't make sense then, doesn't make sense now. My first crush. ❤ Thanks guys.
I have been to Williamson,WV several times. It is a very interesting and fun place to visit with endless opportunities for adventure and exploration. I suggest visiting this unique location if you are looking for a new destination. Did you know there are hundreds of miles of interconnected trails crisscrossing several states that are open to motorcycles & ATVS? You can purchase a 1yr. pass for the trails that allows you to commute on your dirt bike or atv on any public road including city streets in downtown without a registration or tag. The experience of freedom is unlike any place I have ever been.
Thank them for their service. And better luck next time on finding your feel good story.
Thanks 🙏 we will have some soon
Ty for your videos
Hello I just found your UA-cam channel today & I really enjoyed watching your videos. I just adore your accent & how down to earth & natural you are while speaking. One thing if you don’t mind me pointing this out is when you put information on the screen about who you’re talking about we don’t have enough time to read it before it disappears & I don’t want to miss anything. Your videos are great! Thank you for sharing this with us.
Thank you so much! we are working on the text length
I was in Matawan back in the 70s and never heard of these brothers only the Hatfield and McCoy's went to the grave sites of many but Noone mentioned this
I don't think anyone knows about it, we just happened to pull the death certificate and saw he was shot.
That’s spelled matewan
My grandfather was born in west Virginia 1899 and he lived intill he was 103 fight WW1 and was a railroader I never seen him he past before my father was born died working the railroad
Anthony Buke. Thank you ever so much for your comment on the man of honor you served with. There are thousands of others whose exploits will never be known. Again thank you for your remembrance's
What an American tragedy! Ty for sharing this story. Rest In Peace two American heroes. ❤️❤️🙏🏼🙏🏼✝️✝️
I subbed.
Great work, but what a sad story.
Thank you
Great job - true history is much more interesting and deep as any fictional story .
Thank you!
Sir, thank you for bringing us this great history about a great man and his brother. But please do not use the word winner. Medal of Honor “recipients” do not go out win this award. It is not an award to win. It is given for extraordinary sacrifice and bravery. Again thank you.
MSgt, USMC (RET.)
Loved the ending,Good story sad ,Well done!
Thank you 🙏
Unfortunately a disproportionate number of veterans come home with addiction problems. Shooting someone is never the answer, but alcohol can and does produce violent behavior. Just saying.
Enjoyed this. Haven't seen but this one item of yours. I've heard rumor that some stuff has been closed at cabwaylingo park. Had some great summers there. Love to see ,if your doing people and places.
We didn't see anything closed, it looked great
@@thehillbillyfiles Thanks. I'm over 30 years past do a trip home with time to enjoy being there without 18wheels under me.
Read about that guy but never know all this happened. I known & worked with a very lot of Vet's. War is a terrible experience for any human being go through. Best I seen at surface coal mines we all keep telling this young boy to quit sneaking up scaring a heavy combat Vietnam Vet. He thought that was the very funniest thing to daily do. One day Mr. Funny was found laying on ground KOed for a good over 20 mins. Nobody seen nothing. I pretty sure the bosses know what really happened who found him laying in pile of snow. Mr. Funny sure avoided with a huge great distance that Vet after that KO. I think it knocked a few teeth out but he calmed down real fast after that 1.
Great story telling and in fact both were American heroes. Sad ending. Thank you for your research!
Thanks 🙏
The boy was carrying a gun?? It’s so strange. Seems like some of these kids today. Entitled. So heartbreaking. But history is often messy. I’ve learned that.
The dad being a chronic alcoholic probably led to the son becoming what he did, killing his own uncle. Who knows what went on- you never know what’s going on in someone else’s house. RIP
Good point
The intro should say “I’m Leo and I’ll be your hillbilly today”
I see he was born in Michigan. My family has been here in the extreme SE corner since before US existed. I always feel a connection to WV. Was the nephew prosecuted? Great research. Hatfield should have thrown him over that hospital fence.
Yes, very sad. It's like Lloyd William Barker, who was the only one of Arrie "Ma" Barker's sons to go straight after he got out of prison in 1938. He'd served honorably during WW1, then in 1921 robbed a mail truck at Baxter Springs, Kansas. He was sentenced to 25 years at Leavenworth. After he was released he served again in the Army during WW2, received an honorable discharge. He moved to Brighton, Colorado, married a divorced woman named Jenny (Ferrell) Wynne and had two children by her. She'd had two by her first husband. In 1947, she went off in the head and shot Lloyd's head off as he came home from work. Went straight, served his country honorably, only to be murdered by his own wife. Jenny spent the rest of her life in an insane asylum.
Thank you For this
You're welcome!
Being "heroic" these days has a completely different identity than it used to. I won't go into it here, it gets enough coverage, and too often there are comments lodged that continue into clamor that doesn't belong! Especially not here....two CMH recipients in Memoriam. #RESPECT to them and all who have served our Nation. What a storyteller you are, Sir!! Much #RESPECT to you, too!!
If you look up some of America,s history you'll find that America came very close to being a German speaking nation way back in Her early days.
Amazing story, Sad, yet not really unique among-st or predecessors and kin. Many Hero's are unsung...even of my Generation, ("The Wall does not hold all") The death certificate is awesome, and tells much. Thank you so much for this. The Saga continues.
Thanks 🙏
sounds like there’s more to the story… children, don’t make a habit of killing their relatives