William Henry Schildroth

William Henry Schildroth was born on November 16, 1899, in Belleville, Illinois. He was the only child of Henry Theodore Schildroth and Mary B "Mollie" Ryan Schildroth. His father was a Belleview native and his mother was from Washington D.C. His father was a physician, coroner, and appointed medical examiner to the Civil Service Commission in Washington D.C. Around 1910 the family moved from Belleville to Washington D.C. Starting in the fall of 1912, Schildroth attended Gonzaga High School, a private Jesuit college-preparatory high school for boys, until he graduated in June 1916. He later attended Catholic University of America also in Washington D.C.

Schildroth’s military education began in 1918 when he joined the Student Army Training Corps. Later In 1920, he joined the military academy at West Point. During his military training, he was a member of Company “F” first as a sergeant in 1921 until he moved up to the rank of lieutenant in 1922. “Schilly,” as he was called by his peers, was involved in many activities while at West Point. He ran in the Track squad and participated in both indoor and outdoor athletic meets. At the 1922 Indoor-Meet, Schildroth, “outran his opponents in the fifty-yard dash and the relay” helping to move his track team up a place in score. In addition to running on the track team, he was a rifle sharpshooter and a Sunday School Teacher. Schildroth graduated in 1922 and earned the rank of Second Lieutenant.

After graduating military academy, he was stationed at Fort Snelling, Minnesota until the autumn of 1924.   Later on August 18, 1924, Schildroth married Washington D.C. native Mary "Elona" von Culin. Elona graduated from the Holy Cross Conservatory of Music in 1924. Shortly after their marriage, the couple moved to Hawaii where Schildroth served for three years. They welcomed their first child, a daughter name Mary Elona, in 1926. After Hawaii, Schildroth was stationed at the Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri where he worked with the Sixth infantry. In June 1927, he was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant. Later in 1929, The family had their second child, William Henry Jr.

Schildroth was stationed at WSC from 1929 through 1933, where he worked as an officer for the State College R.O.T.C program. He instructed students on infantry weapons, drills, and coached the rifle team for two years. In his first year as coach, the 1931-1932 rifle team earned second place in the national interscholastic competition. The next year, under Schildroth’s guidance, the team won all their matches, placed third in the Western Division of the Hearst Trophy match, second in the Ninth Corps Area Intercollegiate match, and won the National Intercollegiate R.O.T.C championship.

Schildroth was very popular and well-liked by the WSC students. He was a faculty member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and an associate member of the honorary military organization, Scabbard and Blade. Him and his wife Elona attended multiple organizational social events and acted as patrons. He was also well liked by female students who found him attractive as evident in Sigma Delta Chi’s The Chamber Call. The author of the humorous article, “Loco Lieuts Lamp Limbs Longingly,” describes Schildroth and a fellow West Point army officer Halter stating, “Day after day these young giants pose in the handsome car belonging to Lieutenant Halter. The young Lieutenant Schildroth reclines in the front seat something like a male vampire.” The article continues to elaborate on how Schildroth charms the ladies stating, “All girls are crazy about West Pointers.”

In the spring of 1933, Schildroth left WSC for Fort Benning, Georgia where he attended an advanced infantry officer school. At Fort Benning, he studied advanced tactics, weapons, and staff work. In August 1935, Schildroth was promoted to captain and was later promoted to major in 1940. In 1941, he was ordered by the army to leave Fort Benning for Washington D.C. By 1941, he reached the rank of colonel.

In 1943, Schildroth commanded the 261st Infantry Regiment of the 65th Infantry Division at Camp Shelby in Mississippi. He only commanded the regiment for a short time, becoming the commander of the Regimental Commander of the U.S. Army 133rd Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division, from April 8, 1944, until his death on September 17, 1944.

Schildroth's time as commander of the 133rd Infantry Regiment was significant. His regiment was stationed in Italy as part of the Fifth Army. On May 31, 1944, while fighting in the Battle of Anzio, Schildroth courageously led his men and "exposed himself to heavy enemy fire" while coordinating a vital attack of German tanks and infantry. He was not afraid to drive into full view of the enemy during heavy enemy fire. His driver said that Schildroth, "just doesn't seem to worry about enemy fire, but walks right into it. There is just one thing that he is concerned about and that is getting the attack going and killing the Germans." On September 9, 1944, in celebration of Salerno Day, the 133rd Infantry Regiment was given an informal presentation of decorations and awards by Major General L. Bolte, Commanding General of the 34th Infantry Division. At this ceremony, Colonel Schildroth was awarded the Italian Valor Medal for the liberation of Rome.

In early September, the 133rd Infantry began to attack German forces on the Gothic Line. The regiment encountered light resistance as they crossed over the mountainous terrain. On September 12 as the 133rd neared the main defense positions on the Gothic Line, enemy resistance increased, and the regiment discovered mine fields. On September 15, the 133rd cleared S. Margherita in a difficult struggle against enemy forces. The regiment continued to push forward fighting against enemy counter attacks. Heavy fighting continued for the next two days with the 133rd making little progress to break through the Gothic Line.

In the evening on September 17, after a long day of fighting, Colonel Schildroth went to confer with the Battalion Commanders over the plans for the next day. On his return from the meeting, Schildroth encountered a series of unfortunate events leading to his death in a minefield near Mangona, Italy. The event of his death was described in the 133rd Infantry’s reports.

“Just before dark, Colonel William Schildroth, the Regimental Commander, went forward to confer with the Battalion Commanders on plans for the coming day. On his return trip, at about 2115 hours, his peep stalled about four or five hundred yards from the Regimental Forward Command Post. The Colonel and his radio operator stared to walk the balance of the we way to the Command Post, leaving the driver with the vehicle. In the darkness, they took the wrong fork of the trail, strayed into a minefield and both the colonel and the radio operator were killed as the result of setting off a Schu-mine with a prepared detonation charge under it. The terrific explosion was heard in the Command Post but the bodies were not found until daylight due to the difficulty of getting through the minefield. Mine teams were delayed in arriving at the location and as a result it was not sure it was the Colonel and his radio operator until dawn, when the bodies were found. Until then, there had been a faint possibility that the two had merely become lost in the hill surrounding the Command Post.”

Schildroth died on September 17, 1944, at the age of 44. He was buried in the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. He is memorialized for his service to his country and work at Washington State College on the Veterans Memorial. Schildroth was also remembered on a World War II Memorial at Catholic University of America where he attended college before beginning his military experience. The memorial was dedicated in McMahon Hall in 1945 and was inscribed with a prayer, “we ask a memento for these students of the university who have died in service of their country.”

            He was survived by his widow, Elona, daughter, Mary Elona “Toni” Schildroth Willkie, and son, William “Bill” Henry Schildroth Jr.

After the death of her husband, Elona and her son Bill moved back to Washington D.C.  to live with her mother-in-law, Mary. During this time, she worked as a clerk in the Pentagon. Elona died in Fairfax, Virginia on May 1, 1968, at the age of 64. She was buried in Arlington National Cemetery like her husband.

Following in his father’s military footsteps, Bill served in the U.S. Army Air Force. Later he worked for the Department of the Army as a civil service employee and was a management analyst for the U.S. Army Manpower Survey Office, and Office Chief of Staff where he received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 1973. His last assignment was as Deputy Chief of Manpower for the US Armed Forces Command. He retired in 1981 and received the Commander's Award for Civilian Service. After retirement, he moved to Florida where he later died on March 11, 2013, at the age of 84.

Schildroth’s daughter, Mary Elona “Toni” Schildroth Willkie died on February 6, 2021, at the age of 95. She enjoyed travelling the world with her husband, Joseph Brian Willkie, cooking, and reading.