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Bill Greenwood
10-09-2013, 08:29 PM
The Oldest living recipient of the U S Medal of Honor, Nicolas Oresko has passed away at, I believe age 96.
So few of these WWII vets left.

cluttonfred
10-09-2013, 10:45 PM
The Oldest living recipient of the U S Medal of Honor, Nicolas Oresko has passed away at, I believe age 96.
So few of these WWII vets left.

Still, we all have to go sometime, and 96 is an awfully good run. Here is Oresko's Medal of Honor Citation:


M/Sgt. Oresko was a platoon leader with Company C, in an attack against strong enemy positions. Deadly automatic fire from the flanks pinned down his unit. Realizing that a machinegun in a nearby bunker must be eliminated, he swiftly worked ahead alone, braving bullets which struck about him, until close enough to throw a grenade into the German position. He rushed the bunker and, with pointblank rifle fire, killed all the hostile occupants who survived the grenade blast. Another machinegun opened up on him, knocking him down and seriously wounding him in the hip. Refusing to withdraw from the battle, he placed himself at the head of his platoon to continue the assault. As withering machinegun and rifle fire swept the area, he struck out alone in advance of his men to a second bunker. With a grenade, he crippled the dug-in machinegun defending this position and then wiped out the troops manning it with his rifle, completing his second self-imposed, 1-man attack. Although weak from loss of blood, he refused to be evacuated until assured the mission was successfully accomplished. Through quick thinking, indomitable courage, and unswerving devotion to the attack in the face of bitter resistance and while wounded, M/Sgt. Oresko killed 12 Germans, prevented a delay in the assault, and made it possible for Company C to obtain its objective with minimum casualties.

I_FLY_LOW
10-10-2013, 08:32 AM
Still, we all have to go sometime, and 96 is an awfully good run. Here is Oresko's Medal of Honor Citation:

That was incredible!
RIP to another soldier.
We're losing the best generation, way too quickly.
I know they don't live forever, but it would sure be nice to hear their stories.

WLIU
10-10-2013, 09:27 AM
None of those individuals knew what they could/would do until they were called.

The Medal of Honor Society has a web site that has medal citations on it. If you want examples of the youngest generation of warriors measuring up, look up Dakota Meyer or Salvatore Giunta.

The Vietnam generation should look up Bernie Fisher and Leo Thorsness, both still living.

There is a great description of how an ordinary guy realizes its time to do his job in a really bad situation and ends up wearing the Navy Cross. And how some individuals overcome their fear to accomplish heroic acts but wind up with nothing.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903596904576516302821089790.html

For aviation, you might check out the Distinguished Flying Cross has the DFC Society, www.dfcsociety.net (http://www.dfcsociety.net). EAA/IAC member John Morrissey is cited 5 times and some other EAA members are listed there.

Best of luck,

Wes
N78PS

rwanttaja
10-10-2013, 10:14 AM
One living MOH awardee (Col. Joe Jackson) was a member of one my EAA Chapters. He gave a talk once, on winning the Medal. Flew a C-123 in to pick up some troops from an airfield under fire. The last three airplanes to try had been shot down. He described watching RPGs skip across the PSP in front of him as he was taxiing...

Col. Jackson's feat has one unique attribute: His is the only MOH-earning event that was filmed as it happened, from a plane orbiting overhead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_M._Jackson

For those of you who have read the book "A Higher Call," Colonel Jackson was mentioned as contributing to the reunion of the American and German pilot.

Ron Wanttaja

WLIU
10-10-2013, 10:34 AM
And most of these guys are pretty humble. This story about the janitor at USAFA is great reading http://www.homeofheroes.com/profiles/profiles_crawford_10lessons.html

Wes

cluttonfred
10-10-2013, 10:38 AM
Ron, is that video available online anywhere?


One living MOH awardee (Col. Joe Jackson) was a member of one my EAA Chapters. He gave a talk once, on winning the Medal. Flew a C-123 in to pick up some troops from an airfield under fire. The last three airplanes to try had been shot down. He described watching RPGs skip across the PSP in front of him as he was taxiing...

Col. Jackson's feat has one unique attribute: His is the only MOH-earning event that was filmed as it happened, from a plane orbiting overhead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_M._Jackson

For those of you who have read the book "A Higher Call," Colonel Jackson was mentioned as contributing to the reunion of the American and German pilot.

Ron Wanttaja

rwanttaja
10-11-2013, 10:27 AM
Ron, is that video available online anywhere?

With ~20 years since seeing his talk, it looks like I had it slightly wrong: It was a still photo, not a film:

"A photograph taken of Colonel Jackson's aircraft on the runway at Kham Duc from another American aircraft overhead, may be the only known photograph of a Medal of Honor action. Jackson was a veteran of three wars, flying B-25 bombers in World War II and 107 combat missions in Korea."

I remember the picture, I think... you can see the Provider on the runway, with wreckage strewn about, and the blossom of an artillery or mortar round nearby.

Ron Wanttaja

rwanttaja
10-11-2013, 10:34 AM
And... found the photo.

http://tonetcarlo.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/copy-of-khamduc01.jpg?w=480&h=343

Wrecked C-130 at the bottom, crashed O-2 above it, CH-47 wreckage on the runway, and Col. Jackson's C-123 at the top.

Ron Wanttaja