Family of war hero considering requests to display medal

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FARGO (AP) - The family of war hero Woodrow Wilson Keeble is considering requests to display his Medal of Honor.

President Bush presented the nation's highest military honor to Keeble's stepson, Russel Hawkins, at the White House last Tuesday. The medal came more than 25 years after Keeble's death and almost six decades since his bravery in Korea.

Hawkins, who arrived at the Fargo airport Wednesday night, said requests to display the medal have come from the Smithsonian in Washington, and from places in North Dakota and South Dakota.

"We have a number of options, and they're all good options," Hawkins said. "One that we may grab quickly is, the Pentagon would like it on display. They would like it on display with his helmet, with his military jacket.

"They're saying, 'If you could just loan it to us for perhaps a year, we'd be most grateful because of the tourists,' and we would certainly want to accommodate the Pentagon," Hawkins said.

Keeble, who died in 1982, was born in South Dakota, but grew up in Wahpeton and belonged to Guard units in both states. He is the first full-blooded Sioux Indian to receive the nation's highest military award.

Two members of the South Dakota National Guard were at the airport Wednesday night to escort the family back home to the Sisseton area.

Among those asking to display Keeble's Medal of Honor are the North Dakota National Guard's 164th infantry in Bismarck, Keeble's former unit; the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks; and an Army recruiting station in Sioux Falls, S.D., that is named for Keeble, Hawkins said.

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