Medal of Honor to 24 Army veterans: WWII hero Master Sergeant Manuel V. Mendoza
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| Staff Sgt. Manuel V. Mendoza |
Staff Sgt. Manuel V. Mendoza will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his courageous actions while serving as a Platoon Sergeant with Company B, 350th Infantry, 88th Infantry Division during combat operations against an armed enemy on Mt. Battaglia, Italy on October 4, 1944.
Staff Sgt. Manuel Mendoza single-handedly broke up a German counterattack on Oct. 4, 1944, in Mt. Battaglia, Italy. While wounded, he grabbed a submachine gun, crested a hill and fired on 200 heavily armed enemy troops who were charging the hill from the other side, killing 30 of them.
After the enemy withdrew, he retrieved many enemy weapons, captured a wounded enemy soldier and returned to a friendly position.
Mendoza was nicknamed the “Arizona Kid” for his actions in combat.
Following his Army career, Mendoza found employment as a foreman at one
of the largest nuclear plants in the country. He passed away at age 79.
In addition to the Medal of Honor, Mendoza received the Distinguished Service Cross (this award will be upgraded to the Medal of Honor on Mar. 18), Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal with five Bronze Service Stars, Presidential Unit Citation with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Combat Infantryman Badge (Second Award), Honorable Service Lapel Button-World War II, United Nations Service Medal, Republic of Korea Korean War Service Medal, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Italian Cross for Merit of War Unit Citation.
will receive the Medal of Honor
posthumously for his courageous actions while serving as a Platoon
Sergeant with Company B, 350th Infantry, 88th Infantry Division during
combat operations against an armed enemy on Mt. Battaglia, Italy on
October 4, 1944 – See more at:
https://www.medalofhonornews.com/2014/03/president-obama-will-award-24-army.html#sthash.YI5kJbY7.dpuf
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