He took a submarine into a mined enemy harbor where one mistake meant destruction. Then, on the surface and in full view of the enemy, he struck three ships and escaped into the dark.
When his company was trapped under crushing fire in the mountains of Italy, he asked to go forward alone. Armed only with a rifle, he attacked until the enemy line began to collapse.
Deep inside enemy-held territory, two downed pilots waited with almost no hope of rescue. Again and again, he went back into the darkness until both men were brought home.
The only path to the enemy hill was a narrow ridge bordered by deadly cliffs. He went ahead of everyone else and carved a path through caves, spider holes, and machine-gun fire.
Before dawn on Okinawa, a Japanese counterattack slammed into his company’s flank. He sent his men to cover—then stood alone to stop the assault.
Across open fields swept by machine guns, mortars, and cannon fire, he kept moving forward. With his light machine gun at his hip, he blasted a path into the German stronghold.
A burning phosphorus bomb exploded inside the B-29 and turned the aircraft into an inferno. Blinded and on fire, he carried it through smoke and flames to save everyone aboard.
