FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Nicholas Oresko ~ 27 August 2018

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[Kathy in Alaska]

 

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Thank the Veterans who served
in The United States Armed Forces.

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---

~ Hall of Heroes ~

Nicholas Oresko
Info from here.

           

Nicholas Oresko (January 18, 1917 – October 4, 2013) was a United States Army veteran and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions on 23 January 1945, during World War II.

Born on January 18, 1917, in Bayonne, New Jersey, Oresko later joined the Army from that city in March 1942. He was sent to Europe and arrived in France in September 1944, three months after the Normandy landings, as a platoon sergeant in Company C, 302nd Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division. His unit spent the next several months mopping up pockets of German soldiers who had been bypassed in the Allies' initial push through the northern part of France. In December 1944 they were redeployed to replace the 90th Infantry Division as part of Patton's 3d Army. The 94th assumed positions opposite the Westwall and the German 11th Panzer Division. On January 23, 1945, near Tettingen, Germany, Oresko, by then a master sergeant, single-handedly defeated a German bunker, was seriously wounded, and then destroyed a second bunker despite his injuries. For his heroic actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor nine months later, on October 30, 1945. The medal was formally presented to him by President Harry Truman during a ceremony at the White House. Following the death of Barney F. Hajiro in January 2011, Oresko became the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient. Oresko lived in Cresskill, New Jersey. Bayonne School #14 was renamed in his honor in July 2010. Oresko died while undergoing surgery for a broken femur on October 4, 2013. He was 96 years old.

Master Sergeant Oresko's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

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 machine gun 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 machine gun 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 machine gun 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 machine gun 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.

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission! 

[radu]

I figured it wouldn’t be deserted the whole weekend. It sounds like a nice place to spend time when the weather’s nice.

Rain does have a bad habit of making grass shoot up and turn yards into jungles, doesn’t it? LOL! I hope it isn’t too hot today when you mow.

[radu]

Heck, if it’s airborne, I’m allergic to it. LOL! There’s always something in the air stirring up the ol’ sinuses, even during winter. They aren’t as bad then and that’s one nice thing about winter time.

[MoochPooch]

Hi Kathy! Sad to see his generation dying out.

[luvie]

Making my nose run just to think about it. LOL!

Guess I’d better go. Getting up early this morning has me whipped. I’m a wuss. LOL!

See ya tomorrow!

[radu]

You aren’t as much of a wuss as you think, considering how late you were up tonight.

Sleep well ..... and hopefully without Peaches. LOL

[Kathy in Alaska]

And in second....The Mayor snags the silver!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

And rounding out the top three....mountainlion bags the bronze!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good morning, radu....more rain in the afternoon and into the evening. My brother came in from Georgia and said he was surprised it was coming down hard on his drive from the airport to here.

He’s headed back up to the slope on a 3pm flight today. He got a short week at home.

Hope you get some rain soon.

[Kathy in Alaska]

He was a real hero for sure.

[luvie]

I know for some it's work.
I hope if it's you
...that the work is easy-peasy!
Me? I slept till 10.
It's too hot to do much of anything. Blah!
But I suppose I must clean stuff soon. LOL!
Anyhooooo....y'all all have a Mahv'lus Monday!
...and a GREAT week!
(((((hugs)))))