Name: Herman C. Wallace
Rank: Private First Class
Branch: U.S. Army
Unit: Company B, 301st Engineer Combat Battalion, 76th Infantry Division
Place: Near Prümzurlay, Germany
Entered Service At: Lubbock, Texas
Born: Marlow, Oklahoma
Summary of Action
Near Prümzurlay, Germany, Private First Class Herman C. Wallace was helping clear enemy mines from a road during the Allied push into the heart of Nazi Germany.
As he advanced, he stepped on a well-concealed S-type antipersonnel mine — the deadly “Bouncing Betty.”
He heard it activate.
He knew exactly what that sound meant.
If he stepped away or threw himself to the ground, the mine would spring upward and detonate at chest height, spraying steel fragments in all directions — killing the two comrades directly behind him and likely wounding others nearby.
In that split second, Wallace made his decision.
Instead of attempting to save himself, he deliberately placed his other foot squarely on the mine, pinning it to the ground and absorbing the blast.
The charge detonated.
He was killed instantly.
But the explosion was confined to the ground and his own body. His fellow soldiers were spared.
In one deliberate act of supreme courage, Private First Class Herman C. Wallace sacrificed his life to save his comrades — embodying the highest traditions of the United States Army.
Medal of Honor Citation
WALLACE, HERMAN C.
