Posted on 09/15/2005 4:55:44 PM PDT by 68skylark
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sept. 14, 2005) -- The White House has announced that President George W. Bush will present the Medal of Honor to Cpl. Tibor Rubin in recognition of his actions in Korea from 1950 to 1953.
The Medal of Honor will be presented to Rubin during a White House ceremony, Sept. 23.
During numerous battles in Korea, Rubin’s actions with the 1st Cavalry Division to engage the enemy and tend to the wounded, were at what officials described as “careless disregard for his own safety.” In one such battle, Rubin single-handedly defended a hill, manning a machinegun for 24 hours, through the night and next morning, allowing the 8th Cavalry Regiment to successfully withdraw.
In October 1950, Chinese troops crossed the border into North Korea. During the ensuing battle, Rubin was severely wounded before being captured along with other Soldiers.
For the next two and a half years, Rubin risked his life daily to keep his fellow Soldiers alive and hopeful in two of the worst prisoner of war camps, officials said.
Witnesses have said that Rubin’s personal actions to obtain food and to provide medical care directly resulted in more than 40 Soldiers surviving “Death Valley” and Pyoktong Prisoner of War camps.
Rubin was first incarcerated at age 13 during World War II. He was forced from his native Hungarian Jewish community to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. Both his parents and two sisters perished in the Holocaust. Rubin survived until the camp was liberated two years later by American troops.
“Army medics brought us survivors back to life,” Rubin said about his rescue from Mauthausen.
“I was liberated by the U.S. Army and felt that if I ever made it to the United States of America that I would join the Army.” Rubin said.
Rubin immigrated to the United States in 1948 and answered the 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” Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division.
For more information on the Medal of Honor and Rubin, see www.army.mil/medalofhonor/rubin.
(Editor's note: Information provided by Army Public Affairs releases)
Cpl. Tibor Rubin circa 1950
He's an amazing guy, and a tough SOB also. It sounds like the award is well-deserved.
Excellent. Glad to hear this.
I wish he'd do the same for Maj. Dick Winters for his services during WWII.
Amazing! Thanks for the post.
Sniff!
Why are so many people practicing to become bloodhounds?
This is indeed well-deserved. Some of these guys are just plain amazing.
Wow! What a story and what a guy!
Great story!
Fyi..
Yeah, well not so fast! He sounds pretty tough but I didn't see anything about his captors torturing him by putting womens underwear on his head. That may have been a torture tactic that caused even him to break! (sarcasm-just in case)
"And one of the greatest Jewish soldiers America has ever known is Tibor Rubin. After surviving the Holocaust and the Nazi death camp, this young man came to America. He enlisted in the United States Army and fought in the Korean War. He was severely wounded and was later captured by the enemy. For two-and-a-half years, he survived in a POW camp. He risked his life for his fellow soldiers nearly every night by smuggling extra food for those who were ill -- it was a skill he had learned in the Nazi camps -- and because of his daring, as many as 40 American lives were saved.
This evening, I'm happy to announce that next week, I will bestow upon this great patriot our nation's highest award for bravery, the Medal of Honor."
ping
Thanks for the post.
No problem -- it's a pleasure to bring articles like this to other freepers.
I hope he married and has children and grandchildren. We need more Americans like him.
Thanks for the ping Dog. I'm very pleased that some of the "real" heroes are now being recognized.
I can personally name several whose courage and leadership deserved very high honors... but much of the "old corps" in which I served believed that daring courage and valiant action is what was expected of Marines.
I applaud the efforts being made on behalf of individuals of past generations whose actions were exceptionally commendable.
It is also very rewarding to witness the courage and devotion to duty of those of our current generation of young men who perform, for the most part, gallantly and brilliantly.
Rubin will be the first recipient of the Jewish faith/extraction from Korea. Here are the other Jewish MoH recipient's:
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*Posthumous award.
Rubin does have has children, including a son who served in the USAF.
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