Posted on 02/22/2008 3:52:08 PM PST by SandRat
FORT HUACHUCA — The commanding general of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca will present the Bronze Star Medal to World War II veteran Hans Spear on Wednesday.
The event for the 89-year-old Tucson resident will be at 10:30 a.m. at Alvarado Hall. Maj. Gen. John Custer will make the presentation.
Every member of Spear’s unit, with the exception of him and another German-born Jewish soldier, received the Bronze Star for supervising interrogation under fire. He was denied the medal due to anti-Semitism and discrimination because Spear was categorized an enemy alien.
The Army awards regulation, in effect at the time, provided the Bronze Star Medal may be awarded to recognize minor acts of heroism in actual combat or single acts of merit, or meritorious service either in sustained operational activities against an enemy or in direct support of such operations.
On Dec. 6, the Army Board for Correction of Military Records approved that Spear’s records be corrected to show he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.
Spear immigrated from Nazi Germany to the United States in 1938 to escape religious persecution. Once in the U.S., he registered for the draft.
He wanted an opportunity to return to Germany and fight against the Nazis.
Spear entered on active duty in August 1943. He served in the European Theater of Operations as a special agent in charge of a Counter-Intelligence Corps team. He conducted investigations of subversive activities in which military and civilian personnel were involved and conducted interrogations and arrests of members of the Nazi party, war criminals and personnel suspected of espionage. He was discharged in December 1945.
The Leonard Kravitz Jewish War Veterans Act of 2001 ordered reviews of the military service records of foreign born, Jewish and African-American war veterans.
American Jews: contributing more per capita than any other ethnic group. All without "affirmative action."
Now, if the Marine Commandant and Bush would get off their butts and give a posthumous CMOH to Pvt. Guy “Gabby” Gabaldon whose actions saved the lives of thousands of Japanese and U.S. Marines on Saipan...He was a Latino, and talk about anti-Semitism! There was plenty of anti-Latino bigotry in the Marines then. The Vietnam War changed that, but Gabaldon never got the CMOH. He was given the Navy Cross, upgraded to a Silver Star. He was also an outspoken anti-Communist who fought them in Saipan after the War and in Mexico. He was a bodyguard for Reagan. He did it all! His outspokeness against Communism and the U.S.’s softness towards Mexico are probably the main reasons he never got the medal while living. He wrote me before he died that he knew this would happen. Guy “Gabby” Gabaldon, American hero.
Just a minor point; the Navy Cross is Higher than the Silver Star. The Navy Cross is the next award after the MOH.
Thanks for the comment. You would be surprised at how many Jewish Americans, both men and women, have served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. My son did, as well as several other men in our synagogue.
In fact, one young man served in Iraq while his mother a Lt. Colonel, served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
The first marine to die in combat in Iraq was a Russian Jewish emigre to the US, Cpl. Envin.
We were also in Vietnam, including POWS in the Hanoi Hilton, as well as AMA doctor volunteers (Met Dr. Smilkstein in the craphole known as Bac Lieu).
Freedom is as much as fight as anyone else’s.
God Bless America!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.