Marine veteran on 30-year mission to award Medal of Honor to Army lieutenant from Illinois taken prisoner in WWI

By Noel Brennan

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — On this Memorial Day weekend, we honor American heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice. That includes an act of bravery that took place more than a century ago, and efforts now to make sure a soldier is never forgotten.

Once a marine always a marine, but never has Lew Breese had a mission last this long.

“I’m a United States Marine. We just don’t quit,” he said.

It’s taken him almost 30 years to get the complete picture of a young Army lieutenant’s sacrifice during World War I.

Lt. Oliver Julian Kendall, who went by Judd, is the namesake of the VFW post in his hometown of Naperville, Illinois, but no one knows Judd Kendall’s story better than Bresse.

“I just couldn’t believe what this man had done,” he said.

In May 1918, Kendall was in command of soldiers preparing trenches before the American offensive in Cantigny, France.

“They got caught in an artillery barrage. People scattered,” Bresse said.

Kendall continued alone until captured by German soldiers.

“Can you imagine what this man had to go through? Not only the physical pain, but the mental pain,” Bresse said.

As a prisoner of war, Kendall refused to talk.

“Seven teeth in the front of his face were missing. … They were knocked out by a rifle butt, or whatever, or they were pulled out one by one,” Bresse said. “His throat had been cut, finally, because he wouldn’t divulge any information.”

Kendall’s silence likely saved lives; a heroic act the VFW post named after him believes is worthy of the nation’s highest honor: the Medal of Honor.

“He deserves every bit of the recognition that we want him to get and more,” said Staci Boyer, commander of the Judd Kendall VFW post.

Boyer said Bresse’s research has been handed over to U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL).

“We’re making headway, for sure,” she said.

Foster’s office said the congressman is working with the Department of the Army.

“My office is deeply honored to play a role in nominating 1st Lt. Oliver Julian Kendall for the Medal of Honor. His service to our nation stands as a timeless example of valor and sacrifice. Though decades have passed, it’s never too late to honor his legacy with the gratitude it deserve,” Foster said in a statement.

The recommendation process involves multiple steps, and can take well over a year.

“What more can one do for his country than give his life?” Bresse said.

A marine hasn’t finished his mission yet.

“Not until I get a yay or nay,” Bresse said.

One big hurdle in the mission over the years was the lack of proof that Kendall was captured alive, but Bresse said there’s definitive proof. He found German military records that state an American officer was taken as a POW exactly where Kendall went missing.

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