This young American soldier didn't receive his Medal of Honor until 2000 for his heroic actions in WW II. Do you know who he is? Here's what he did:
He was shot in the stomach while destroying a machine gun nest.
He is told that he has a serious wound but decides he’s still good to go and starts an attack on a second machine gun position.
He destroys a second machine gun nest before collapsing from blood loss.
He wakes up and decides that he’s still good to go and crawls to attack a third position.
While charging the third machine gun nest he has his arm almost completely shot off. He tells his men to stay back because in the hand of the arm that’s basically been shot off, there’s a grenade still clenched, pin out. He’s worried the hand will unclench and the grenade will get people trying to help him.
He then pries the grenade from his useless arm and uses it to destroy the third machine gun nest.
He then proceeds to try and clear the remaining German forces on the ridge, one-handed with a Thompson submachine gun, before being shot through the leg and tumbling down a ridge.
He said "They forgot to call off the war" to his men who were coming to collect him and take him to the aid station. He wanted them to keep on task and finish the fight rather than worry about his injuries.
He had the remnant of his arm amputated without anesthesia because someone had given him too much morphine. They feared the combination of morphine and blood loss would kill him if they added anesthesia to the mix.
He survived all this and became one of the longest serving senators in US history. Which was good because the US didn't get around to awarding him the Medal of Honor (upgrading his DSC) until 2000. His name: Senator Daniel Inouye (1924-2012).
WE ARE GRATEFUL TO SENATOR INOUYE, FOR HIS SERVICE.
(and thanks to William Zhukovsky and to Don M. for forwarding this!)