Heroe€™s Portraits: Staff Sergeant Stanley Bender, US Army

Staff Sergeant Stanley Bender, US Army SSG Bender was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for actions in France during World War II.   He climbed on top of a knocked out tank to locate the source of machine-gun fire that had stopped his company’s advance.   Then he led his squad through a ditch to attack the position and started an assault on the German position in which he killed 37 and captured a further 26 German soldiers.   He survived the war and passed away in 1994.   He is buried in Oak Park, WV. His citation is here: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life … More after the Jump…

Heroe€™s Portraits: Sergeant William Wilson, US Army

I had to include Sergeant William Wilson because he is one of the nineteen people who have been twice awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and because he belonged the regiment that I was assigned to for both of my deployments.   My unit Forward Operating Base was also named in his honor in Iraq in 2004-2005. There is actually not much known about him.   His citations are below but they do not provide much in the way of detail about the actions in which he earned the award or about him in general.   He is buried in the San Francisco National Cemetery.  WILSON, WILLIAM Rank and organization: … More after the Jump…