The annals of American military history are filled with the names of thousands of heroes. One of them belongs to a man who fought on three continents, in three wars, and ultimately gave his life not for an abstract ideal, but for a specific man lying under enemy fire on a Vietnamese rubber plantation.
A Warrior from Oklahoma
Pascal Cleatus Poolaw was born in 1922 as a full-blooded Kiowa, a member of a nation whose warriors had been famous for their courage on the Great Plains for centuries. The tradition of fighting flowed in his veins like the echo of ancestors chasing bison and repelling invaders. When Europe was set ablaze by World War II, young Poolaw joined the 4th Infantry Division and crossed the Atlantic.
The Normandy landing in June 1944 was his ultimate baptism of fire. Beaches covered in bodies, the thunder of artillery, the chaos of the invasion’s first hours. Poolaw survived and advanced inland.
A few months later, during the Battle of the Bulge, when the German offensive stunned Allied forces in a wintry hell, he earned his first Silver Star and his first Purple Heart for wounds received in action.
Korea and the Price of Valor
Just five years after the end of World War II, Poolaw found himself on the Korean Peninsula. In September 1950, he led his men through enemy positions, the fight turning into a direct, hand-to-hand clash.
This desperate charge allowed the rest of his company to complete their combat mission. There were more moments like this.
In April 1951, his platoon was trapped under machine gun and mortar fire. Poolaw made a decision that defines true leadership. He deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire, drawing their attention away from his soldiers. He received more decorations and more wounds.
A Return Nobody Wanted
In 1962, Poolaw officially ended his service. He was forty years old, his body covered with scars, and the father of four sons. All of them chose to serve. One of them, Pascal Junior, lost his leg to an explosion in Vietnam. When another son was set to be deployed to a war zone, the old sergeant made the most paradoxical decision of his life.
Army regulations prohibited sending two members of the same family to a combat zone without their consent. Poolaw returned to active duty, hoping his presence would protect his son. At forty-five, he had more medals than many generals. He was deployed to Vietnam for three tours.
On November 7, 1967, during an operation near Loc Ninh, his unit was ambushed on a rubber plantation. Sniper fire, mines, rockets. Without hesitation, Poolaw ran to the forward section, organized the defense, and pulled wounded men to safety under fire. Already wounded, he was carrying another soldier to cover when a fatal bullet struck him.
He died as he had lived for forty-five years of service. His name can be found today on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and in 2019, he was inducted into the National Native American Hall of Fame.
Autor
Marcus Renfell
Marcus Renfell is a historian driven by curiosity and passion. He refuses to accept the “safe,” polished versions of the past. Instead, he brings forgotten, overlooked, and distorted stories back to life. His work blends scholarly precision with the art of storytelling, turning historical narratives into vivid, page-turning experiences.
His mission is simple: to prove that history can be gripping, alive, and deeply personal.
His debut book: Women of Science. Stories You Were Never Told
In his first publication, Marcus Renfell shines a light on the remarkable women who shaped the world of science — both the pioneers whose names we know and the brilliant minds history forgot. It’s an inspiring journey through untold stories, groundbreaking achievements, and the resilience of women who changed our understanding of the world.
? Discover Women of Science. Stories You Were Never Toldon Amazon.com.