HUGHES, John Gideon “Gid”, 1st Lieutenant, 328 Infantry, US Army. Serial Number 1932208. LT. HUGHES was born 29 Jan 1896 at Clifton, Tennessee and died 4 Nov. 1988 at Clifton, Tennessee. He was the son of John F. 
HUGHES and Elizabeth DIXON. He was a graduate of Frank Hughes College and attended business college in Nashville.
He was a rural mail carrier before entering the service in 1917, at age 21. He graduated from Officer’s Candidate School in 1918. He was immediately sent to France where he saw active service until the Armistice was signed. He received a field promotion to 1LT 24 Oct 1918. He was honorably discharged 22 May 1919.
After World War I, he returned to Clifton and later moved to Louisiana to work as a lumber inspector for his uncle, Mr. W. H. NEWCOMBE. While there he met Marjorie Ross RUCKER who was a school teacher in Jonesboro, Louisiana. They were married on 19 December 1920 and returned to Clifton in 1928. Two daughters, Elizabeth HUGHES DAVIS and Frances HUGHES RILEY were born to this marriage. His wife preceded him in death in 1983, a few months after they had celebrated 62 years together.
During World War II he sold his service station business in Clifton and moved to Clinton, Tennessee, in order to work at Oak Ridge and help with the war effort. After the war he returned to Clifton and served as Post Master there until his retirement in 1961. “Mr. Gid” as he was affectionately called, was a man of integrity and very high principles. He was proud of his military service and a patriotic American until the day he died.
The following newspaper article was submitted, dated 2 Feb 1919.
“CAPTAIN SHOT SEVEN TIMES, CLIFTON MAN SPRINGS TO COMMAND”
“Lieut. J. G. HUGHES Leads Company at Third Battle of Verdun – Searches For Food In Pockets Of Dead. Taken For Boche While In Shell Hole, Plucky Tennessean Is Made Target Of American Tank.
“On the third day of the third battle of Verdun the captain of my company was shot seven times..
“I saw him fall.
“He yelled: ‘Hughes, take command of my company.’
“Then I jumped from command of fifty to two hundred and fifty men; but the greater responsibility, the harder a man will fight.
“This excerpt is taken from a letter from First Lieutenant J. H.[sic] HUGHES, son of Prof. and Mrs. J. F. HUGHES of Clifton, Tenn. who entered the service in September 1917. He graduated from officers; training camp at Camp Gordon in the spring of 1918 and was sent immediately to France, where he saw active service until the armistice was signed.
“Commissioned Lieutenant
“Soon after reaching France he was commissioned second lieutenant. He took part in some of the most famous battles of the war.
“Lieutenant HUGHES gives a graphic description of the third battle of Verdun after he had taken command of his company, as follows:
“Running as hard as I could, and waving my pistol over my head, I yelled, ‘Come on F Company Boys!’
“Everyone one responded for they had confidence in me and every one proved to be a real soldier. They followed me clear through the entire battle and not one of them offered to halt. We were in for six days but thought we would be in no more than two days, so we carried enough eats only for two days.
“About the third day we sure became hungry.
“I searched the pockets of the dead lying on the field for something to eat, but did not meet with much success. It was very rainy weather, so where the shells made big holes eight and ten feet in the ground, water accumulated in them and I drank the water from these shell holes and it never poisoned me. I was just lucky. A person will do anything once when he gets hungry. I had gone five days without anything to eat.
“Captures Three Big Guns
“I captured three big guns which the Boche could not take with them while retreating. I examined the guns and to my surprise I found some real German black bread. We had a feast after we had drive the Boche into the woods. We reported our location and ordered the tanks to come to our rescue.
“I was the first one they saw when they came close to us. I had my head stuck out of the ground and the tanks fired a three inch gun direct at my head. Luckily they missed me. Believe me I came right out of that hold and stood up straight so they could see I was an American. I showed them where the machine gun nests were and they went after them.”