Today, at 2:30 p.m., in the Rose Garden at the White House, President Bush will award Corporal Tibor Rubin with the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Rubin immigrated to the United States in 1948 and answered America’s call to duty by volunteering for Army service. By July 1950, Rubin was fighting on the front lines in Korea as an infantryman in I “Item” Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. During numerous engagements, Rubin’s actions to engage the enemy and to tend the wounded, at careless disregard for his own safety, resulted in the heroic defense of his unit. In one such mission, Rubin single-handedly defended a hill for 24 hours, allowing his company to withdraw.Subsequently, Rubin dragged to safety a critically-wounded Soldier who others had left to perish. When he and surviving members of his unit were captured and interred in North Korean and Chinese Prisoner Of War camps, Rubin drew from his hard-won personal experiences in the Holocaust death camps to find food and provide medical care to his fellow captives. The U.S. Army credits Rubin with saving the lives of more than 40 Soldiers.
Now, 55 years later, Rubin will receive the nation’s highest military honor.
More information on this American hero is available at the Army's website.
Unofficially, I believe that this is the only award of the MOH to a concentration camp survivor. Also, I believe that this doubles the number of living Jewish MOH recipients to two. I have had the privilege of meeting the other, Colonel Jack Jacobs, on several occasions.
As always, I find myself humbled when I read about men like these.
Gives me chills.
Posted by: GrammarQueen at September 23, 2005 02:07 PMI was reading an article wherein Rubin commented that he used to be just some schmuck, now he's the schmuck with the big medal. Paraphrased, of course, but it was typical Jewish humour sans ego that I thought was priceless.
Posted by: Mark at September 26, 2005 08:47 AM