He had seconds to act and every reason to save himself. Instead, he ran toward the live grenade.
Under artillery fire on the Western Front, he ran toward the wounded instead of away from the shells. A Navy dentist became a battlefield surgeon and saved a Marine’s life.
In the darkness of a Korean night attack, artillery fire meant survival. When a grenade landed among his team, he gave his life so the mission could continue.
On a narrow ridge in the Philippines, a blast tore away both of his legs. He refused evacuation, stayed in the fight, and helped carry the attack to victory.
He charged machine guns on two separate days and kept moving forward each time. When the battle for Tendola hung in the balance, he led from the front until he fell.
An open rice paddy became a killing ground under enemy fire. He crossed it again and again—not to save himself, but to bring others home.
For three days on a shattered ridge, he refused to give ground. Wounded and surrounded, he fought with machine gun and grenades until death.
