Medal of Honor Podcast

Ernest Janson went AWOL from the Army and joined the Marines under a false name: Charles Hoffman. Eight years later, at the legendary Battle of Belleau Wood, Hoffman’s actions awarded him the Medal of Honor when he single handedly charged a German machine gun squad from attacking his Marines.

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1st Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr. served in the Army in World War I as a pilot. He quickly gained a reputation as being arrogant and overconfident, but he had the skills to back it up. He scored 18 aerial victories in under three weeks, mostly on unsanctioned missions. His friendship to his group commander allowed him to fly as he pleased, consequence free.

On September 29th, 1918, after almost being grounded by his squad commander, Luke left on another solo flight, destroying three German observation balloons. What happened after became subject exaggeration and speculation for decades to come. Originally, it was thought that Luke fought 10 German planes, destroying two of them before being shot down himself, and then died in a gunfight on the ground with German soldiers. For this he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Decades later in 2008, thanks to archeological digs, interviews with descendants of witnesses, reviewing unpublished material, and analyzing evidence, the truth was finally revealed. After destroying three German observation balloons, Luke had circled back to head home, but was down by a German machine gun. He crash landed and attempted to escape on foot, but succumbed to his injuries.

Luke was reburied at the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Italian War Cross, in addition to being the first airman ever awarded the Medal of Honor. He’s been commemorated with a statue that stands at the Arizona State Capitol, and by Luke Air Force Base, which was named after him. To this day, Luke’s Medal of Honor citation has never been updated to reflect the full picture.

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When Corporal Roberts’ tank sank into 10 feet of water, his first instinct was to save his gunner, knowing only one of them could escape. Because of his self sacrifice, Roberts was awarded the Medal of Honor.

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After immigrating from Austria, Specialist Sabo served his new home by joining the US Army and deploying to Vietnam and Cambodia in 1970. On a mission to interdict enemy supply lines, Sabo fought off an ambush, saved a wounded soldier, and sacrificed his life to destroy an enemy bunker. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor 42 years later.

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With his company commander killed in an ambush, and Marines isolated from the rest of the battalion, Colonel Barnum took over the company and defeated the enemy. Barnum used attack helicopters on enemy positions and evacuated his dead and wounded.

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