The Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame
Cliff Heller was born and raised in Yates City, and was an honor student at Galesburg High School, where he also excelled as a track athlete. At Knox, Cliff was a three-year letter winner in track, competing in the hurdles, broad jump and high jump. He was captain of the team his senior year. Cliff was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, the Friars Club and Sigma Delta Psi, a national honor society for physical fitness. He was also a cadet captain in the Knox R.O.T.C and a member of Scabbard and Blade, an organization honoring outstanding R.O.T.C. cadets. In 1941, he was nominated to “Who’s Who among Students in American Universities and Colleges.”
Following his graduation from Knox in 1942, Cliff was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Rangers Commando service, and was sent to fight in Africa during World War II. Six months later he lost his life while trying to secure a battle ground in French Morocco. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Army’s second highest award, the Distinguished Service Cross, for extraordinary heroism. The Galesburg Armed Forces Reserve Center is named in his honor.
In awarding him these honors, Army representatives described his heroism as follows:
“Lieutenant Heller distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy. He advanced alone toward enemy machine gun emplacements with only his sub-machine gun as a weapon. Lieutenant Heller disarmed and captured seven prisoners, thus silencing the machine gun . . . Lieutenant Heller continued to fight aggressively throughout the day and his attitude was an inspiration to the officers and men of his organization. While leading his men into the trenches in the Native Village later that day, Lieutenant Heller was killed by a heavy blast of machine gun fire.”
Cliff was an excellent college track athlete who gave his life serving his country and fellow man.
