World War Ii Battle Where an Army Soldier Threw Grenade Into Bunker

George Washington — At the White Mansion Tuesday, 24 mass, three of them living, are scheduled to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for their valor in wars of past decades.

President Obama will present the awards in recognition of their actions in World War II, Vietnam War and Korea. The Medal of Reward bequeath be presented posthumously to the families of 21 soldiers WHO take died.

Each of the soldiers previously acceptable the Differentiated Service Cross, the nation's second highest military award. That award leave embody upgraded to the Medal of Award in recognition of their politesse, intrepidity and heroism above and beyond the call of tariff.

Congress, through the Defense Authorization Act, called for a review in 2002 of Jewish American English and Hispanic American veteran state of war records from WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam State of war, to ensure those worthy the Congressional Medal of Honor were not denied because of prepossess.

During the review, records of individual soldiers of neither Person nor Hispanic declivity were also found to have criteria worthy of the Medal of Honor. The 2002 Act was amended to allow these soldiers to be honored with the upgrade, to boot to the Jewish and Latino-North American nation soldiers.

Living recipients

— Sgt. 1st Family Melvin Morris, African American, Vietnam

Connected Sept. 17, 1969, soldiers from 1st and 3rd Battalions, IV Mechanized Strike Force were conducting a seek and clear operation near Chi Lang, Vietnam. Morris, commander of 3rd Company, 3rd Battalion, learned that sister companies from his battalion had encountered an broad enemy mine field and were engaged with the enemy.

Morris immediately reorganized the force into an effective assault posture and moved them forward before he and two other men went to recover the body of a down team commander. Opposition fire wounded the ii men with Morris, so he helped them back to the main military unit so polar alone into the hail of fire. He threw grenades into the nearest enemy bunker. Spell his men provided suppressive fire, Morris war-torn quadruplet more enemy positions to irritate his unchaste comrade.

Morris was wounded threefold but he did non stop until he brought the fallen soldier back to guard.

— Master Sgt. Jose Rodela, Hispanic Solid ground, Vietnam

Connected Family. 1, 1969, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Mobile Strike Force Overlook in Phuoc Long Province, Vietnam, moved to support a sister battalion that had suffered heavy casualties. Connected their way on that point, the soldiers from 3rd Battalion came nether heavy mortar, roquette, political machine-gun and small-scale blazon fire. The attack was so intense the unit suffered 42 casualties almost immediately.

Rodela, a company commander, immediately began to move from man to man in his company, physically pushing them into protective positions to form a half-moon border. His actions allowed the unit to organize a defensive perimeter. When the firing relieved, Rodela jumped up, exposing himself to enemy fire, and began checking for casualties and moving survivors into unlike positions to try and form a stable defensive line.

— Spc. Santiago Erevia, Hispanic American, Vietnam War

On May 21, 1969, Erevia's company was busy in a search and cleared cognitive process near Tam Ky in Vietnam's Quang Tin Province. After a count of light skirmishes, the soldiers, from C Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Sectionalization, arrived at a hillside, where they came below heavy enemy fire and suffered numerous casualties. Erevia, the radio telephonist, was asked by his platoon leader to give aid to tetrad hurt comrades while the others pushed forward against the enemy.

While caring for the maimed, the men came under intemperate self-winding weapons and small arms fire from four enemy bunkers about 50 meters to their left wing. With bullets striking wholly close to him, Erevia crawled from one wounded man to another, gathering up weapons and ammunition. Light-armed with two M-16 rifles and several hand grenades, Erevia moved in on the enemy bunkers.

Erevia pulled the personal identification number on a hand grenade and fired his rifles until he was able-bodied to drop the grenade into a trap, destroying the put away and killing the enemy fighter. Erevia continuing to move to the other three bunkers and silenced them by throwing a grenade at two positions and firing his M-16 at the last bunker. Atomic number 2 then returned to aid in treating and evacuating the dead and wounded from his company.

Posthumous awards:

— Stave Sgt. Salvador J. Lara, Hispanic North American nation, WWII

Then-Pfc. Salvador Lara led his rifle team to inflict large casualties on enemy forces. And when they resumed the attack the following forenoon, his stage was seriously injured, and he did not stop for first aid.

When his ingredient suffered under withering auto gun down fire, he crawled entirely to the nearest machinegun and took out the Germans manning it. The action took place on May 27 and 28, 1944, in Aprilia, Italy.

— Pvt. Pedro Cano, Hispanic American, WWII

During the months-long battle of Hurtgen Forest, Cano killed 30 enemy troops connected Celestial latitude. 2 and 3, 1944, in Schevenhütte, Germany.

While on a patrol, Cano's unit took casualties and He played dead, and then tossed a grenade at the German soldiers, putting to death or wounding all of them. He was badly injured concisely thereafter.

— Sgt. Alfred B. Nietzel, White person, WWII

While an opposition assault threatened to overrun Nietzel's lieu, he successive the three remaining hands from his team to retreat for reinforcements connected Nov. 18, 1944, in Heistern, Germany.

He repose on restrictive fervidness until his ammo ran out before he was killed with a grenade. His actions held up enemy troops until reinforcements could reside defensive positions and lame the antipathetical drive.

— 1st Lt. Donald K. Schwab, Caucasian, WWII

Schwab light-emitting diode his company over 400 yards of bare, coverless dry land against a formidable line of machine-guns and machine-pistols, successful triplet charges with his dwindling group of men before he charged the enemy alone in Lure, France on Sept. 17, 1944.

At last, he took out a German handgun nest aside ripping off its shelter cover, bludgeoning the gunner with his carbine and dragging him behind friendly lines amid a hail of gunfire. The action soh disorganized the enemy soldiery that they abandoned their defenses and withdrew.

— Pfc. William F. Elmore Leonard, Caucasian, WWII

On Nov. 7, 1944, near St. Die, French Republic, Pfc. William F. Leonard braved machine-gun fire to rape a hill later on his platoon was reduced to Eight men, killing ii snipers 50 and 75 yards away.

Shot in the neck and back, atomic number 2 destroyed a machine gun with grenades, sidesplitting its two-man crew. Stunned by an exploding bazooka shell, He advanced to knock cold a second car gun.

— Staff Sgt. Manuel V. Mendoza, Hispanic, WWII

Staff Sgt. Manuel Mendoza single-handedly broke up a German counterattack on Oct. 4, 1944, in Mt. Battaglia, Italy. While wounded, he grabbed a submachine gun, crested a pitcher's mound and pink-slipped on 200 heavily armed foe troops who were charging the James Jerome Hill from the other side, killing 30 of them.

Aft the foeman withdrew, he retrieved many enemy weapons, captured a injured enemy soldier and returned to a friendly positioning.

— Pvt. Joe Gandara, Hispanic American, WWII

Gandara's detachment came under devastating enemy fire from a irregular German force, pinning the work force to the ground for about quadruplet hours on June 9, 1944, in Amfreville, France.

Gandara advanced voluntarily and exclusively toward the enemy position and gone three hostile machine-guns before he was fatally wounded.

— Sgt. Jesus Duran, Hispanic American, Vietnam War

On April 10, 1969, in Tay Ninh, Annam, Duran, a gunne with E Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, was on a search and clear surgical procedure. Eastern Samoa the soldiers stirred into an luxuriant enemy bunker complex, the precede elements began taking fire from every side. With his M-60 machine gun dazzling from his hip, Duran hurried forward and assumed a defensive position near the mastery post.

Equally the hostile forces stormed the post with small blazonry fire and grenades, Duran disappointed their efforts with devastating streams of machine-gun fire. Learning that 2 seriously injured troopers were pinned down aside harassing enemy ardor, Duran assaulted the enemy positions, firing lifelessly bursts on the run.

Duran climbed onto a lumber and unemployed directly into the foe's foxholes, eliminating quadruplet fighters and several others as they fled. He then continued to pour effective fire on the disorganized and fleeing foe.

— Staff Sgt. Felix Conde-Falcon, Hispanic American, Vietnam War

Conde-Falcon was a platoon leader on April 4, 1969, when his unit conducted a swing operation most Ap Tangent Hoa, Vietnam. The soldiers came upon an large foeman bunker complex, which reversed out to equal a pack command post. After artillery and air strikes on the status, Conde-Falcon's platoon went in to clear the bunker.

Conde-Falcon charged the first bunker, heaving grenades as he went. He sick on to two more bunkers, destroying them too. When he rejoined his platoon, they moved about 100 meters before they came under violent hostile fire. Conde-Falcon single-handed assaulted the nearest foe position, killing the fighters inside before jetting out of ammo. He picked up an M-16 rifle but was shot by an unseen aggressor and soon died of his wounds.

— Spc. Leonard Alvarado, Latino Ground, Vietnam State of war

On Aug. 12, 1969, while serving as a rifleman during a mission to relieve a sister platoon in Phuoc Long Province, Vietnam, Alvarado acknowledged and disrupted an enemy foray. Despite his quick reaction, atomic number 2 and his comrades were quickly pinned down away the enemy force that blocked the route to the trapped platoon.

Eastern Samoa Alvarado rush forward to engage the enemy, a grenade unconnected nearby, wounding and momentarily disorienting him. Alvarado killed the grenadier just as another enemy barrage wounded him again. He crawled forward to puff single soldiers back within a hastily fan-shaped perimeter.

Realizing that his element had to break away from the enemy force, Alvarado began moving forward alone. Increasing satchel charges kept throwing him to the ground, but Alvarado continued to move and fire, silencing several enemy positions. He continuing to make suppressive fire connected the unfavorable forces. Aft the enemy broke contact, his comrades unconcealed Alvarado had died from his wounds.

— Sgt. Candelario Garcia, Hispanic American, Vietnam War

Garcia was a team leader in B Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. Happening Dec. 8, 1968, during a reconnaissance-in-force mission near Lai Khe, Vietnam, Garcia's platoon ascertained communicating wire and unusual signs of an enemy base clique leading into a densely vegetated area. The soldiers came low-level intense fire and several were wounded and trapped in the open.

Ignoring the hail of bullets, Garcia crawled to within 10 meters of a car-gun trap, leaped to his feet and ran directly at it, firing his loot as he charged. He jammed 2 hand over grenades into the gun interface and then placed the muzzle of his weapon inside, killing totally cardinal occupants. Garcia then ran 15 meters to another bunker and killed the tierce opposition inside with hand grenades and rifle fire. He past helped rescue 2 casualties and joined his caller in an dishonour that overran the unexpended enemy positions.

— Spc. Ardie Copas, Caucasian American, Vietnam State of war

Connected Crataegus oxycantha 12, 1970, near Ph Romeas Hek, Kampuchea, Copas' company was attacked by a large hostile pull along ignition recoilless rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons. Copas, a machine-artilleryman, began returning fire but was knocked to the ground when his equipped motorcar was smash by an opposition recoilless round. Four else Americans were wounded.

Ignoring his wounds, Copas climbed back into the burning vehicle and began dismission his machine-ordnance at the enemy. Copas set down suppressive fire until the Little Jo injured were safely evacuated; he continuing to fight until atomic number 2 was mortally maimed by an enemy round.

— Cpl. Victor H. Espinoza, Hispanic North American nation Korean Peninsula

And then-Cpl. Victor Espinoza spearheaded an attack to secure "Old Baldhead" when his unit was pinned land away withering give the axe from fortified positions.

In venturesome succession, Espinoza single-handedly suppressed a machine-gun and its crew, observed and destroyed a covert enemy burrow, and wiped out 2 bunkers. His actions, which took property Aug. 1, 1952 at Chorwon, Korea, glorious his unit and enabled them to secure the strong-point against great odds.

— Sgt. Juan E. Negron, Hispanic American, Korea

On Apr 28, 1951, near Kalmaeri, Korea, then-Sgt. Negron was told elements of the company were withdrawing from an exposed locating, but Negron refused to leave and delivered withering fire at hostile soldiery who had broken through a traveling lug.

As hostile troops approached his position, Negron hit them with hand grenades and obstructed their attack. He held the position all night, while an aligned counter attack was organized and launched. After the foeman was repulsed, 15 of them were found a few feet from Negron's position.

— Pvt. Miguel Armando "Nando" Vera, Hispanic American, Korea

Commendation unofficial: Vera, a indigen of Puerto Rico native, on Kinsfolk. 21, 1952, was portion with Company F, 2nd Large number, 38th Foot Regiment, 2nd Foot Segmentation at Chorwon, Korean Peninsula. Vera's unit was committed to assault and secure the correctly sphere of the hill "Old Baldy" and, although wounded in an earlier involution, Vera voluntarily rejoined elements of the platoon regrouping at the hill's base.

Forging up the bare, jolty gradient in skirmisher formation, the troops came within 20 yards of hostile positions when they were subjected to heavy artillery and trench mortar barrages and intense cross-fire from automatic weapons and grenades, which forced them to motion back. Vera remained derriere to covering fire the withdrawal and, poured crippling fire into foe emplacements. During this action atomic number 2 lost his life.

— Pfc. Demensio Rivera, Hispanic American, Korea

Citation concise: On May 22-23, 1951, Rivera, an 18-year-old native of Puerto Rico, was serving with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division at Changyongni. When his platoon's outstation was assaulted at night, Rivera, an machine-controlled rifleman, tenaciously held his position. When his pillage became inoperative, Rivera employed his pistol and grenades, and eventually fought the foe close and forced them back. Eastern Samoa an overwhelming number of the foeman closed in, he killed iv with his only remaining grenade. When his position was retaken, he was found seriously maimed and lying with the bodies of the four enemy suddenly or dying.

— Sgt. Jack Weinstein, Caucasian, Korea

Citation summary: Weinstein, of Lamar, Mo., was service with Companionship G, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Foot Division on Oct. 19, 1951, cheeseparing Kumson. Weinstein was in the lead as the first platoon of Society G unsuccessful to take an enemy-held position. After gaining the ground, the platoon, consisting of two five-man squads, was attain by a cutthroat counterattack by active 30 fanatical Chinese Communist troops. Most of the members of the platoon had been wounded in the previous action and withdrew. Weinstein continuing to fight hit the rushing foe. At least six were killed past Weinstein's M-1 rifle before He ran out of ammo.

Although under extremely worrisome enemy fire, he refused to withdraw and continued fighting by throwing enemy hand grenades which were lying near his post. Alone and unaided he held the ground his platoon had fought hard to take. He held out against overwhelming odds until another platoon was able remedy him and repel the enemy. Weinstein's leg had been broken by an enemy grenade and old wounds suffered in premature battles had reopened, but he refused to adjourn until wounded comrades could reach friendly lines. Weinstein died happening Apr 20, 2006, at the get on of 77.

— Pfc. Leonard M. Kravitz, Jewish American, Korean Peninsula

Citation summary: Kravitz, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native, along March 6-7, 1951, was serving with Company M, 3rd Battalion, 5th Army unit Combat Team, attached to the 24th Infantry Division, in Yangpyong. Kravitz's building block was plagued past enemy and unvoluntary to withdraw from a defensive position.

Kravitz voluntarily remained at his automobile-gun to provide suppressive fire. This forced the enemy to concentrate their attack on his own position. Kravitz was killed, but his actions rescued his total platoon.

— Sgt. Eduardo Corral Gomez, Hispanic American, Korea

Citation summary: Gomez, a Los Angeles native, was serving with Company I, 8th Cavalry Regiment, First Cavalry Division, on Sept. 3, 1950, at Tabu-dong. Piece readying defensive positions, his company was ruthlessly attacked. Gomez maneuvered crosswise open anchor to with success lash out a manned tankful.

Injured in the left position while returning to his position, he refused medical aid, instead manning his post and firing upon the enemy. Although his weapon hot and burned his hands and his painful wound still bled, he maintained his bandstand and, upon orders to withdraw in the nerve of overwhelming enemy superiority, remained to provide protective fire, exacting more opposition casualties.

— Cpl Joe R. Baldonado, Spanish American American, Korea

Cite summary: Baldonado, a 20-class-old Colorado native, was serving with Troupe B, 187th Mobile Infantry Regiment, on November. 25, 1950, at Hill 171 in the vicinity of Kangdong. At approximately 4 a.m., 2nd Platoon was occupying positions on Hill 171 when the enemy tried to launch a strong attack to occupy the Hill. By 6 a.m., the platoon had expended most of its ammo, and the platoon drawing card decided to commit his third squad.

Since there was not clip to dig in, Baldonado, a machine-gunner of the third squad, placed his weapon in an unclothed position and delivered a withering stream of fire on the advancing enemy, causing them to lose. The enemy then exclusive all their flame along Baldonado's gun, and unsuccessful to knock information technology exterior by rushing the side in small groups and hurling grenades. Several multiplication grenades exploded extremely close to Baldonado, but failing to interrupt him. The enemy finally withdrew at 7 a.m., after making a net assault on Baldonado's position, during which a grenade landed near his gun for hire, violent death him instantly. Baldonado's remains still have not been found.

— Headmaster Sgt. Michael C. Pena, Hispanic, Korea

Citation summary: Pena a 25-yr-old native of Newgulf, Lone-Star State and World War 2 old stager, was serving with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment (Foot), 1st Cavalry Division connected the evening of Phratr. 4, 1950, near Waegwan. His unit was fiercely attacked and Pena LED them in a counter-attempt, regained the thoughtful positions, and attempted to hold back the enemy. Despite the devastating fervency ordered by the friendly soldiery, the foeman continued to hurl themselves at the defenses in overwhelming numbers.

During the course of the negative-attack, Pena realized his soldiers' ammo was running forbidden and ordered his social unit to retreat. Pena then manned a machine-gun to cover their backdown. Concentrated-handedly, He held rear the enemy until the early hours of the following morning when his position was overrun, and he was killed.

World War Ii Battle Where an Army Soldier Threw Grenade Into Bunker

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/18/army-veterans-receive-medal-of-honor/6556399/

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