US Army PFC George Benjamin Jr.: Medal of Honor Recipient WWII

While advancing with his company during a battle on Leyte in the Philippines, PFC George Benjamin Jr. saw a rifle platoon falter under heavy Japanese fire. Carrying only a pistol and a bulky radio, he charged across open terrain to rally them forward. Charging into a storm of bullets, he killed three enemy soldiers and continued leading the assault despite overwhelming fire. Even after being mortally wounded, his first thought was of the mission—he reported enemy positions and vital intelligence from his stretcher. For his extraordinary bravery, PFC Benjamin was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor Citation:
He was a radio operator, advancing in the rear of his company as it engaged a well-defended Japanese strongpoint holding up the progress of the entire battalion. When a rifle platoon supporting a light tank hesitated in its advance, he voluntarily and with utter disregard for personal safety left his comparatively secure position and ran across bullet-whipped terrain to the tank, waving and shouting to the men of the platoon to follow. Carrying his bulky radio and armed only with a pistol, he fearlessly penetrated intense machine-gun and rifle fire to the enemy position, where he killed one of the enemy in a foxhole and moved to annihilate the crew of a light machine gun. Heedless of the terrific fire now concentrated on him, he continued to spearhead the assault, killing two more of the enemy and exhorting the other men to advance, until he fell mortally wounded. After being evacuated to an aid station, his first thought was still of the American advance. Overcoming great pain he called for the battalion operations officer to report the location of enemy weapons and valuable tactical information he had secured in his heroic charge. The unwavering courage, the unswerving devotion to the task at hand, the aggressive leadership of Pfc. Benjamin were a source of great and lasting inspiration to his comrades and were to a great extent responsible for the success of the battalion's mission.

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