World War II/Awesome: Difference between revisions

** Another recipient for the Medal of Honor: Was a medic, who continually ran out, under fire, and according to the official report, was responsible for saving the lives of a dozen of soldiers on the battlefield. Takes guts to run out under fire. He did it all unarmed. He was a conscientious objector and refused to carry a weapon.

*** His name is Desmond Doss: http://articles.latimes.com/2006/mar/26/local/me-doss26

** One of the recipients, Hershel Woodrow "Woody" Williams, was a flamethrower specialist (a weapon which takes some serious balls to carry into battle, because it's carrying two full tanks of highly flammable napalm on their backs) in the Pacific Theater. While the Iwo Jima invasion was going on, the Marine cleared out seven Japanese strongpoints and halted a banzai charge during the course of a single day, while all the bullets were ricocheting off of this fuel tanks. He only retreated once, since he ran out of fuel.

** Pvt. Harold H. Moon, age 23, participated in the Battle of Leyte. Now Moon had a reputation as a troublemaker. Also, he was released from the stockade so he can participate in battle. During a Japanese counterattack against the U.S. beachhead, his position was the target of both enemy gunfire and mortars after his comrades were killed. Moon man a machine gun in his foxhole, gunning down any advancing troops, and repeatedly exposed himself to kill the attackers. His surrounded position was the focal point of the attack for more than four hours. Frustrated, the Japanese sent a whole platoon to overwhelm the American Private; he emptied his entire magazine into the advancing line, killing eighteen and sending the others retreat. Eventually, he was finally shot and killed after attempting to lob a grenade at a foe machine gun. When men that were sent to recover Moon's body, they discovered corpses approximately 200 dead Japanese soldiers about 100 yards of his position.