| Original caption: “Private Jonathan Hoag…of a chemical battalion, is awarded the Croix de Guerre by General Alphonse Juin, Commanding General of the French Expeditionary Corps, for courage shown in treating wounded, even though he, himself, was wounded. Pozzuoli area, Italy.” Général de Corps D’Armée Corps Alphonse P. Juin (December 16, 1888 – January 27, 1967) Commandant de Corps Expéditionnaire Français (CEF; “French Expeditionary Corps”), presents the Croix de Guerre to Private Jonathan T. Hoag (October 23, 1920 – November 18, 2014). Afterwards, the United States Army decorated him with the Silver Star. Often listed by the National Archives and Records Administration as an African American, Hoag is actually a member of the Caddo Nation. He attended Riverside School in Anadarko, Oklahoma, graduating in May 1942. A Native American boarding school opened in 1871, Riverside has a legacy of abuse, preventing Caddo students from speaking their own language and used harsh discipline to enforce rules. He joined the United States Army in July 1942. Hoag went from battling the staff at Riverside to battling Nazi Germans in Italy. Hoag was assigned as a medic to the 3rd Chemical Battalion. Initially the 3rd Infantry Division didn’t know what to do with 3rd Chemical Battalion and their M2A1 4.2 inch (107 millimeter) mortars. After covering the Anzio landings on September 17, 1943, with smoke, earning the unit motto “We Cover,” the 3rd Chemical Battalion was released to II Corps reserve, and its men were put to work guarding Prisoner of War camp and supply points. That was soon to change. The 3rd Chemical Battalion, intended for rear echelon operations, would find itself in constant front line combat. After the beachhead was secured, the 3rd Chemical Battalion continued performing missions in the Naples-Foggia Campaign which ran from November 1943 to January 1944. During the Rome-Arno Campaign which culminated in the liberation of Rome, members of the Battalion were cast in the role of battle troops facing front-line contact with the German and Italian defenders. It was not the last time the unit, designed to be a rear-echelon element, would operate in the front lines as the need arose to hold gaps in the line against the furious German resistance. With the arrival of Victory in Europe Day on May 9, 1945, the 3rd Chemical Battalion had logged 477 combat days — more than any other chemical mortar battalion —and fired over 171,000 rounds. In total, the battalion was given official credit for participation in 7 campaigns. Hoag was temporarily attached to the 2nd Moroccan Infantry Division for the Battle of San Michele on December 14-15, 1943. In conjunction with the United States Army 45th Infantry Division, 2nd Moroccan Infantry Division hoped to achieve surprise in attacking Nazi German positions along the Pantano – Monna Casale range. Hard fighting at the start of the action had alerted the Germans, and Mount Castelnuovo was unable to be overcome and the French withdrew. Hoag, who was wounded during the battle, treated others in his unit before tending to his own wounds. Hoag, with the 3rd Chemical Battalion, went on to Rome, landed in Southern France, and pushed into Central Europe. Hoag was a highly decorated soldier; his awards and decorations included a Purple Heart, 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, 2 Silver Stars, 1 Bronze Service Star and 1 Bronze Star. He was honorably discharged in 1945. Hoag graduated from Southeastern Teacher’s College in 1946 and qualified for his Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) certification on March 24, 1954. He joined the United States Naval Reserve in 1956 and sailed for his training cruise on USS Wren (DD-568). He left the Naval Reserve in 1962. In 1963, Hoag became a licensed ordained minister in the American Indian Full Gospel Assembly. In 1964, he held evangelistic services in Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana and in mid-state in California. Hoag returned to California and accepted the position of pastor of the Hot Creek Full Gospel Church, where he served for 6 years, and remained open to the calling of God. He returned to Oklahoma shortly after he accepted the pastorate of the Cache Creek Full Gospel Church, south of Carnegie. In 1972, Hoag became the community health representative for the Delaware Tribe of Western Oklahoma. At the same time he worked as an LPN at the Lawton Indian Health Service Hospital. He retired on December 17, 2001. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0640.jpg |
| Image Size | 703.16 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2900 x 2325 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | March 21, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Pozzuoli |
| State or Province | Campania |
| Country | Italy |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-111-SC-188939 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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