Samuel Mason Hogan
Samuel Mason Hogan
Graduate of the United States Military Academy, class of 1938. Samuel Mason Hogan was born in Corsicana, Texas, on November 9, 1915, son of Dodge Causey Hogan and Mary Adeline Miller. Descended from Scots-Irish pioneers, soldiers and frontier lawmen, he grew up riding horses, hunting and fishing in the Rio Grande Valley. He graduated as valedictorian from Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School, then attended Pan-American University for one year.
His mother encouraged Sam to seek an appointment to West Point, obtained in 1934, appointed by Congressman Milton West. He graduated in the top 15% of the class of 1938 — the first in his class to choose the Cavalry Branch. He spent the next three years at Fort Brown, Texas, leading A Troop, 12th Cavalry Regiment, patrolling the US-Mexico border on horseback.
In April 1941, he was deployed to Camp Beauregard, LA, as S-3 assistant of the 33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division. In December 1941, he was promoted to captain. Promoted to major in 1942, he became commander of the 3rd Battalion. Promoted to lieutenant colonel, he trained at Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, before being deployed to the Midlands, England. At 28 years old, he was purportedly the youngest American tank battalion commander during WWII, responsible for 500 soldiers and 54 Sherman tanks.
He and his battalion crossed the English Channel on June 23, 1944, landing at Omaha Beach. They fought from Normandy — including the battle for Hill 91 (Hauts Vents) and the relief of the 120th Infantry Regiment at Mortain during Operation Lüttich — through the Falaise Pocket, the liberation of Mons, Liège, and the capture of Aachen, the first major German city to fall to the Allies. Sam received the Silver Star for gallantry at Chérencé-le-Roussel during the Mortain fighting. Throughout the dash through France, he always flew a Texas flag from his antenna.
After the Battle of the Bulge and the escape from Marcouray, Task Force Hogan participated in the January 1945 counteroffensive. They helped capture Cologne in early March 1945, including the Ford factory district and the Cologne Zoo. After crossing the Rhine near Bad Honnef on March 21, Spearhead made the longest single-day armored advance in military history: 90 miles to Paderborn. Sam was awarded the Bronze Star for his leadership in that operation. On April 23, 1945, with the capture of Dessau on the Elbe River — less than 100 miles from Berlin — combat ended after 220 days.
After the war, Sam presided over a war crimes tribunal. He then served as Judge Advocate of the 2nd Armored Division staff; Chief of Staff, 4th Armored Division; Chief of Staff, 7th Logistical Command, Korea; and advisor to the 40th Armored Division. At the Pentagon, Colonel Sam Hogan became Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Education.
In 1965, he was appointed Defense Attaché at the US Embassy in Quito, Ecuador, and retired in 1968 after 30 years of service. In retirement, he ran a wildlife safari company in the Amazon basin and the Andean highlands, and became a tireless advocate for animal welfare, equal rights and the environment. In 2002, he was made honorary colonel of the 26th Infantry Regiment — a rare honor for a non-infantry officer. After 35 years in Ecuador, he moved to Corpus Christi, Texas in 1990.
Sam lost his wife Gina to cancer in 1963. He remarried and raised 4 children in total. His eldest son Patrick served in the Vietnam War as a Military Intelligence combat cameraman. His youngest children, William and Mary, served as officers in the active duty army.
Individual awards: Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, American Defense Service Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 5 campaign stars, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal (Germany clasp), French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star, Belgian Fourragère, Order of Abdon Calderon (Ecuador).
On May 3, 2005, Sam Hogan's life ended tragically due to complications from a head injury suffered in a fall. He was a very physically fit 89-year-old man. He is buried at Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA — Section 3, Grave 4316-B.
