Paul J. Wiedorfer and the Medal of Honor
Written by "60 Minutes" producer Max McClellan
As our report went to "press" this weekend, we learned of the death of Paul J. Wiedorfer, a Medal of Honor recipient from World War II who earned the nation's highest military honor for his actions on Christmas Day 1944. As with every one of the Medal of Honor citations I've had a chance to read, Mr. Wiedorfer's heroism was breathtaking.
The Washington Post reported Mr. Wiedorfer's death - and described his heroic life - at the end of this week: "He was 23 when his unit, part of General George S. Patton's Third Army, was sent to rescue American troops trapped in Bastogne, Belgium, during the first days of the Battle of the Bulge."
According to his official Medal of Honor citation, we know that his unit was pinned down by a surprise German attack when Private Wiedorfer began his extraordinary solo assault. He charged across a snow covered field under an intense hail of enemy fire, single handedly knocked out two German machine gun nests and took as many as 24 prisoners.
The citation reads like a Hollywood script: "Miraculously escaping injury, Private Wiedorfer reached a point some ten yards from the first machine gun emplacement and hurled a hand grenade into it. With his rifle he killed the remaining Germans, and, without hesitation, wheeled to the right and attacked the second emplacement....This heroic action by one man enabled the platoon to advance from behind its protecting ridge and continue successfully to reach its objective. A few minutes later, when both the platoon leader and the platoon sergeant were wounded, Private Wiedorfer assumed command of the platoon, leading it forward with inspired energy until the mission was accomplished."
The Baltimore Sun interviewed Mr. Wiedorfer in 2008 and he explained his spectacular feat this way: "Something had to be done, and someone had to do it. And I just did it."
That's just about exactly how Sal Giunta, the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor in a generation, would describe his actions on a remote hilltop in eastern Afghanistan in 2007. He was 22 at the time, and he remains utterly unconvinced to this day that what he did to save his fellow soldiers from a brutal enemy ambush and rescue an American from being carried away by the Taliban was heroic.
Something had to be done. And he did it.
On this Memorial Day weekend, we're all reminded of the humility and bravery of individuals like Paul Wiedorfer and Sal Giunta. They are worthy of the nation's special recognition, as are all of the men and women serving in uniform who sacrifice so much - and almost always out of camera view.
With Mr. Wiedorfer's passing, there are now 84 Medal of Honor recipients alive today.
The Washington Post concluded their article about Mr. Wiedorfer with a powerful quote that I think every member of the military I've had the chance to meet would salute this weekend: "As he aged, Mr. Wiedorfer said he prayed for the day there would be no living recipients of the Medal of Honor. "Because," he once said, "it will mean that we have learned to live in peace."