Chattanooga's Charles Coolidge is now the oldest living National Medal of Honor recipient after the death of Robert Maxwell at 98.

Mr. Maxwell, of Bend, Ore., was presented the medal for throwing himself on an exploding German hand grenade. The heroic act in World War II saved the lives of several nearby soldiers and a battalion commander.

He was shielded only by an Army blanket and suffered permanent injuries in the incident in a small courtyard of a house near Besancon, France.

Mr. Coolidge was honored for his valor in helping hold a vital hilltop position in France near the German border for four days under heavy German attack.

Chattanooga has honored the Signal Mountain native with the naming of a park and a highway.