Random Interesting Bits of History
- Thread starter SpitfireV
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One of the most legendary smackdowns I've ever read:
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Another MOH story:
"Captain Benjamin Lewis Salomon (1914–1944) was a Jewish American dentist who served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he was an Eagle Scout and a graduate of the University of Southern California Dental School. After starting a dental practice, he was drafted into the Army in 1940 and began as an infantry private before being commissioned as a dental officer in 1942.
Salomon was assigned to the 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. By June 1944, during the Battle of Saipan, he had volunteered to replace a wounded battalion surgeon in the 2nd Battalion. On July 7, as the battalion came under a massive attack by 3,000–5,000 Japanese troops, Salomon’s aid station, only 50 yards behind the front line, became overwhelmed with casualties.
When enemy soldiers began overrunning the station, Salomon took up arms to defend the wounded. He shot and bayoneted several attackers who entered the tent and ordered the evacuation of the injured. Knowing he would not survive, he chose to stay behind to hold off the enemy while others escaped.
Salomon took control of a machine gun after four soldiers were killed manning it and fought until his death. When American forces later returned, they found his body slumped over the gun with 98 enemy soldiers dead in front of his position. He had suffered 76 bullet and bayonet wounds, at least 24 of which were likely sustained while still alive.
Initial attempts to award him the Medal of Honor were denied due to technicalities involving his status as a medical officer and the Geneva Convention. Several resubmissions of his case were also rejected over the decades, including by Army leadership and the Department of Defense.
Finally, in 2002, after renewed advocacy by dental and military leaders, President George W. Bush posthumously awarded Captain Salomon the Medal of Honor. The medal is now displayed at the Army Medical Department Museum, with a replica at USC Dental School, honoring his selfless bravery.
Captain Salomon remains one of only three dental officers to receive the Medal of Honor, remembered for his extraordinary courage in sacrificing his life to protect wounded comrades during one of the fiercest battles in the Pacific."
"Captain Benjamin Lewis Salomon (1914–1944) was a Jewish American dentist who served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he was an Eagle Scout and a graduate of the University of Southern California Dental School. After starting a dental practice, he was drafted into the Army in 1940 and began as an infantry private before being commissioned as a dental officer in 1942.
Salomon was assigned to the 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. By June 1944, during the Battle of Saipan, he had volunteered to replace a wounded battalion surgeon in the 2nd Battalion. On July 7, as the battalion came under a massive attack by 3,000–5,000 Japanese troops, Salomon’s aid station, only 50 yards behind the front line, became overwhelmed with casualties.
When enemy soldiers began overrunning the station, Salomon took up arms to defend the wounded. He shot and bayoneted several attackers who entered the tent and ordered the evacuation of the injured. Knowing he would not survive, he chose to stay behind to hold off the enemy while others escaped.
Salomon took control of a machine gun after four soldiers were killed manning it and fought until his death. When American forces later returned, they found his body slumped over the gun with 98 enemy soldiers dead in front of his position. He had suffered 76 bullet and bayonet wounds, at least 24 of which were likely sustained while still alive.
Initial attempts to award him the Medal of Honor were denied due to technicalities involving his status as a medical officer and the Geneva Convention. Several resubmissions of his case were also rejected over the decades, including by Army leadership and the Department of Defense.
Finally, in 2002, after renewed advocacy by dental and military leaders, President George W. Bush posthumously awarded Captain Salomon the Medal of Honor. The medal is now displayed at the Army Medical Department Museum, with a replica at USC Dental School, honoring his selfless bravery.
Captain Salomon remains one of only three dental officers to receive the Medal of Honor, remembered for his extraordinary courage in sacrificing his life to protect wounded comrades during one of the fiercest battles in the Pacific."
Meant to post this yesterday. Not a MOH, but no shortage of valor...maybe worthy of having his name on a ship?:
Wonder if he received a NM; he should.
As a result of the “What are you Reading” thread, I have started to look at a multi day Gustav Line tours.
I’m leaning towards signing up for this one: 7 Day Italy in WW2 Tour Including Cassino & Anzio
I’m leaning towards signing up for this one: 7 Day Italy in WW2 Tour Including Cassino & Anzio
Today we visited the Abbey and the Polish cemetery at Monte Cassino. The fight for this area is by some accounts the hardest battle in Europe during WW2.
The Bombardment of Monte Cassino: February 14-16, 1944 - La Gazzetta Italiana
The Bombardment of Monte Cassino: February 14-16, 1944 - La Gazzetta Italiana
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