Medal of Honor: Richard Keith Sorenson – U.S. Marine Corps Reserve – Kwajalein – 1944

Name: Richard Keith Sorenson
Rank: Private
Branch: U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
Unit: Assault Battalion, 4th Marine Division
Place: Namur Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands
Entered Service At: Minnesota
Born: 28 August 1924, Anoka, Minnesota

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Summary of Action

During the bitter fighting on Namur Island, Pvt. Richard K. Sorenson and five fellow Marines were holding a shell hole when Japanese forces launched a violent counterattack. In the chaos of close combat, an enemy grenade landed directly among the group.

Without hesitation and with full awareness of the consequences, Pvt. Sorenson threw himself onto the grenade, absorbing the full force of the explosion. He was severely wounded by the blast, but his action saved the lives of the Marines around him.

His selfless decision, made in a fraction of a second under extreme fire, stands as one of the clearest examples of devotion to comrades above all else.

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Medal of Honor Citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with an assault battalion attached to the 4th Marine Division during the battle of Namur Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, on 1–2 February 1944. Putting up a brave defense against a particularly violent counterattack by the enemy during invasion operations, Pvt. Sorenson and 5 other Marines occupying a shell hole were endangered by a Japanese grenade thrown into their midst. Unhesitatingly, and with complete disregard for his own safety, Pvt. Sorenson hurled himself upon the deadly weapon, heroically taking the full impact of the explosion. As a result of his gallant action, he was severely wounded, but the lives of his comrades were saved. His great personal valor and exceptional spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of almost certain death were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.