Captain Roland L St. Clair, O1323185
Captain Roland Lionel St. Clair, O-1323185 US Army. He was born on January 24, 1910, in Hennepin, Minnesota, the son of Alton C St. Clair and Mabel Miriam Rivers St. Clair. He graduated from Marshall High School Minneapolis Minnesota in 1927. At Marshall High School he was a member of the Torch Club for 2 years the Commercial Club for 3 years the Student Council for 3 years the Cardinal Board for 4 years the Press Club for 4 years the Dramatic Club for 4 years the Cardinal Play for 4 years the Judge Staff for 3 years his high school yearbook quote was ” A living man who leads, a silent doer of the deeds. He married Helen Agnes O’Gara on August 22, 1934 at Ascension church in Minneapolis Minnesota. They had 4 children Roger D St. Clair, Ronald St. Clair Janet St. Clair the 4th child was a son who was born and died on the same day June 26, 1946.
He entered the US Army on July 31, 1943 at the age of 33. At the time of his enlistment he was 5 foot 10 inches tall weighed 178 pounds had blue eyes and brown hair he was also working for the First Nat Bank and Trust Co. He entered H Company, 253rd Infantry regiment, 63rd Infantry Division at Camp Van Dorn Mississippi on September 10, 1943 from IRTC Camp Wheeler Georgia as a 2nd Lt. He served in H Company, he was wounded on April 3, 1945, he became the Company Commander of H Company. He earned his Bronze Star Medal for Valor on February 17, 1945 in the vicinity of Neunkirch France he was the Company Commander of the Heavy weapons Company aka H Company and was assigned the mission of providing close support to the attack. Captain St. Clair constantly exposed himself to German fire to direct the fires of the weapons under his control.
On the morning of April 3, 1945 H Company set off with about 10 to 15 jeeps on a convoy from Gundelsheim Germany to Höchstberg Germany. It made a wrong turn and found itself in Offenau Germany. Before H Company’s suspicions were fully aroused, and the lead jeep was about 400 yards south of town, heavy small arms fire broke loose from the left and right fronts. Machine Gun fire was coming from the left from a disabled railroad train and from the right from foxholes and machine gun nests dug in near the River. the 1st 3 jeeps were disabled and orders were given for the others to get out.
Captain Roland Lionel St. Clair, was shot in the femur by a Machine gun. Upon Captain St. Clair, being shot in the Femur by a Machine gun, PFC, Ralph L. Leavitt with utter disregard for his personal safety dashed across an open field under intense fire in order to reach his jeep which was needed to evacuate the Company Commander. with the help of others PFC Leavitt placed the officer in the jeep and drove to the aid station. Without the actions of PFC Leavitt Captain St. Clair would have probably been taken as a prisoner of war. Some tanks from the 753rd Tank Battalion was able to come in and rescue the company but this was after 3 men were Killed in action, 15 men were taken as prisoner of war and several wounded. After the rescue the company went back to Gundelsheim Germany. The criminal event of the day was the wrong turn that H company made was supposed to be blocked off so it would not happen again but was not. Therefor 2nd Platoon, A Company, 263rd Engineers, 63rd Infantry Division made the same wrong turn hours later and resulted in another 4 dead and 7 wounded for the 63rd Division from this same ambush site.
Captain St. Clair, was discharged from the US Army on Aug 25, 1946. He was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, the Bronze Star Medal with V and Oak Leaf cluster, the Purple Heart Medal, The American Theater of operations Medal, the European Theater of Operations Medal ETO with 2 battle star, the World War Two Victory Medal.
After the war he went back into banking he kept busy with more than just his family and work he was a member of the American Institute of banking, American Legion hospital board, Elks Club Lodge 44, Knights of Columbus, Order of the Purple Heart, Past Commander of the Minneapolis North Side Post of American Legion, American Legion Publications Board and Financial secretary of the Minneapolis 40 and 8. He died on July 16, 1968, in his hometown at the age of 58, and was buried in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At the time of Roland St. Clair’s, death his son Roger D St. Clair was in Vietnam.
The Minneapolis Star Minneapolis, Minnesota · Wednesday, June 15, 1927
The Minneapolis Star Minneapolis, Minnesota · Wednesday, August 22, 1934
The Minneapolis Star Minneapolis, Minnesota · Thursday, July 18, 1968
1927 Marshall High School Minneapolis Minnesota yearbook
the U.S., Veterans’ Gravesites, ca. 1775-2019
U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
1920 United States Federal Census
1930 United States Federal Census
1940 United States Federal Census
1950 United States Federal Census
the Minnesota, U.S., Death Index, 1908-2017
63rd Division records
