4. Turney W. Leonard’s Ring
Lieutenant Turney W. Leonard ’42 was a member of the Corps of Cadets and commander of Company I Infantry during his senior year. Leonard reported for active duty in May 1942 and was proud to be among the many Aggies who served in World War II.
During the Battle of the Bulge, Leonard’s battalion was exposed to heavy enemy fire. Leonard was wounded and left at an aid station, later to be declared missing. In 1949, he was listed as killed in action. Almost a year later, Leonard’s family received his Medal of Honor for “his superb courage, inspiring leadership and indomitable fighting spirit,” according to his medal citation. Leonard is one of Texas A&M’s eight Medal of Honor recipients.
Two years later, in 1946, a German named Alfred Hutmacher found a gold ring and pocketed it. Putting it in a desk drawer, he forgot about it again for the next 56 years. Then, in 2000, when his son-in-law, German Army Lt. Obit Volker Lossner, asked about the battle, it caused Hutmacher to remember the unique piece of history he had collected years before. Upon closer examination of the ring, Lossner noticed a name engraved on the inside, sparking a quest to return the ring to its rightful owner. In a matter of weeks, they traced the name and ring back to Texas A&M, and in November 2000, Leonard’s ring found its way back to Aggieland.
Leonard’s family presented his Medal of Honor, his ring and other decorations for permanent display at the Corps Center to tell the legacy of an American and Aggie hero.