There are many pleasures and some pains in writing GeneaBlogie, but I don't think I've experienced anything quite as poignant as some of the comments I got about our piece on Sgt Leslie H. Sabo. I decided to give them upfront exposure and you'll understand why.
I was glad to bring this story of heroism to our audience. I'm very sorry to hear of the passing of George Koziol who did so much to keep the memory of Sgt Sabo's heroism alive. Now that a date has been set for another overlooked soldier's Medal ceremony, we hopefully can expect Leslie Sabo's family and friends to receive word soon of their trip to the White House. May God bless them.
Showing posts with label Medal of Honor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Medal of Honor. Show all posts
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Two Heroes: WIlson and Shadrach of Andrews' Raiders
Note: This is the last in a series of four posts about heroic soldiers who were denied or overlooked for the Medal of Honor at the time of their extraordinary acts. Less than ten days ago, Congress authorized the award of the Medal to five of these men.
One of the most daring events of the Civil War took place in northern Georgia in April 1862. For their part in the affair, nineteen members of the Ohio volunteer infantry were awarded the nation's first Medals of Honor by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. Unfortunately, two men, George D. Wilson, and Phillip G. Shadrach, were left out of the wards. Now, 146 years later, Congress has passed legislation to award them the highest military honor.
Major General D.C. Buell, in command of the Department of Tennessee, had employed a sometimes spy and contraband runner named James J. Andrews from Kentucky. Andrews conceived a plan to execute Buell's desire to disrupt communications and transportation between Chattanooga and Atlanta.
With twenty-two handpicked men from the Ohio Infantry dressed as civilians, Andrews walked from a rendezvous point near Chattanooga to Marietta, Georgia. They reached Marietta at about midnight on April 11, 1862. At that Marietta, they boarded a train for a station called Big Shanty not far from the Great Kennesaw Mountain.
While the engineer, conductor, and other passengers were eating breakfast, Andrews and his men uncoupled the locomotive called The General, its coal tender and three box cars from the rest of the train, all without arousing the suspicion of the soldiers at nearby Camp McDonald. Sixteen raiders secreted themselves in the boxcars. Andrews and Privates Wilson Brown and William Knight, both locomotive engineers, entered the cabin. Another soldier acted as fireman. The legitimate crew of The General looked up from their breakfast to the sight of the train teaming out of Big Shanty without them.
The raiders cut telegraph lines, removed rails, and burned bridges. According to the railroad schedule which Andrews had with him, they should have met only one other train, but for some reason they met three. The raiders told inquirers where they were compelled to stop that they were conveying powder to Beauregard's army. The first train that came to a broken spot had its engine reversed and became a pursuer of the raiders. About an hour was lost in waiting to allow these trains to pass, which enabled their pursuers to press closely upon them. Despite their best efforts, the time lost could not be regained. After having run about one hundred miles, they found their supply of wood, water, and oil exhausted, while the rebel locomotive which had been chasing them was in sight. Under these circumstances, they had no alternative but to abandon their cars and flee into the woods on Chickamauga Creek, some15 miles from Chattanooga.
Thousands of Confederate soldiers scoured the country in all directions and eventually captured Andrews and his companions.
The report of the Judge Advocate General about this incident to the Secretary of War included the following:
While the group was imprisoned at Chattanooga, Anderws was tried as a spy, convicted, and hanged at Atlanta on June 7, 1862. Following his execution, twelve others were transferred from Chattanooga to Knoxville, where seven of them were put on trial for spying. All seven were convicted and sentenced to death.
The Judge Advocate General's Report continued:
The fourteen remaining raiders were taken to Atlanta where they were confined. In October, 1862, all fourteen escaped from prison. Six made it back to Federal lines, six were recaptured, and the fate of two others has remained unknown.
On March 25, 1863, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton presented the very first Medals of Honor to the six remaining Ohio infantrymen, and gave them brevet commissions as lieutenants. Eventually all the raiders would be awarded the Medal of honor, save four: James Andrews, who was not eligible as a civilian, another civilian, and George Davenport Wilson and Phillip Gephart Shadrach.
It's not clear why Wilson and Shadrach were left out of the award of the Medal of Honor. Some reports say that Shadrach was disqualified because he had enlisted under a false name.
George Davenport Wilson was the son of George and Elizabeth Clark Wilson of Belmonmt County, Ohio. According to one source, he was married once, but divorced in 1861, before enlisting. He had a daughter and a son.
Phillip Gephart Shadrach (if that was his name) is listed on the military rolls as Charles Perry Shadrach. A source says he was the son of Robert and Elizabeth Shadrack of Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Information about him is difficult to come by and even more difficult to verify.
Congress on January 28, 2008 authorized the award of the Medal of Honor to these two heroic soldiers.
One of the most daring events of the Civil War took place in northern Georgia in April 1862. For their part in the affair, nineteen members of the Ohio volunteer infantry were awarded the nation's first Medals of Honor by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. Unfortunately, two men, George D. Wilson, and Phillip G. Shadrach, were left out of the wards. Now, 146 years later, Congress has passed legislation to award them the highest military honor.
Major General D.C. Buell, in command of the Department of Tennessee, had employed a sometimes spy and contraband runner named James J. Andrews from Kentucky. Andrews conceived a plan to execute Buell's desire to disrupt communications and transportation between Chattanooga and Atlanta.
With twenty-two handpicked men from the Ohio Infantry dressed as civilians, Andrews walked from a rendezvous point near Chattanooga to Marietta, Georgia. They reached Marietta at about midnight on April 11, 1862. At that Marietta, they boarded a train for a station called Big Shanty not far from the Great Kennesaw Mountain.
While the engineer, conductor, and other passengers were eating breakfast, Andrews and his men uncoupled the locomotive called The General, its coal tender and three box cars from the rest of the train, all without arousing the suspicion of the soldiers at nearby Camp McDonald. Sixteen raiders secreted themselves in the boxcars. Andrews and Privates Wilson Brown and William Knight, both locomotive engineers, entered the cabin. Another soldier acted as fireman. The legitimate crew of The General looked up from their breakfast to the sight of the train teaming out of Big Shanty without them.
The raiders cut telegraph lines, removed rails, and burned bridges. According to the railroad schedule which Andrews had with him, they should have met only one other train, but for some reason they met three. The raiders told inquirers where they were compelled to stop that they were conveying powder to Beauregard's army. The first train that came to a broken spot had its engine reversed and became a pursuer of the raiders. About an hour was lost in waiting to allow these trains to pass, which enabled their pursuers to press closely upon them. Despite their best efforts, the time lost could not be regained. After having run about one hundred miles, they found their supply of wood, water, and oil exhausted, while the rebel locomotive which had been chasing them was in sight. Under these circumstances, they had no alternative but to abandon their cars and flee into the woods on Chickamauga Creek, some15 miles from Chattanooga.
Thousands of Confederate soldiers scoured the country in all directions and eventually captured Andrews and his companions.
The report of the Judge Advocate General about this incident to the Secretary of War included the following:
The twenty-two captives, when secured, were thrust into the negro jail of Chattanooga. They occupied a single room, half under ground, and but thirteen feet square, so that there was not space enough for them all to lie down together, and a part of them were, in consequence, obliged to sleep sitting and leaning against the walls. The only entrance was through a trap-door in the ceiling, that was raised twice a day to let down their scanty meals, which were lowered in a bucket.
They had no other light or ventilation than that which came through two small, triple-grated windows. They were covered with swarming vermin, and the heat was so oppressive that they were often obliged to strip themselves entirely of their clothes to bear it. Add to this, they were all handcuffed, and, with trace chains secured by padlocks around their necks, were fastened to each other in companies of twos and threes. Their food, which was doled out to them twice a day, consisted of a little flour, wet with water and baked in the form of bread, and spoiled pickled beef. They had no opportunity of procuring any supplies from the outside, nor had they any means of doing so; their pockets having been rifled of their last cent by the Confederate authorities, prominent among whom was an officer wearing the rebel uniform of a major. No part of the money thus basely taken was ever returned.
While the group was imprisoned at Chattanooga, Anderws was tried as a spy, convicted, and hanged at Atlanta on June 7, 1862. Following his execution, twelve others were transferred from Chattanooga to Knoxville, where seven of them were put on trial for spying. All seven were convicted and sentenced to death.
The Judge Advocate General's Report continued:
Among those who thus perished was Private Geo. D. Wilson, Company C, 21st Ohio Volunteers. He was a mechanic from Cincinnati, who, in the exercise of his trade, had travelled much through the States North and South, and who had a greatness of soul which sympathized intensely with our struggle for national life, and was in that dark hour filled with joyous convictions of our final triumph. Though surrounded by a scowling crowd, impatient for his sacrifice, he did not hesitate, while standing under the gallows, to make them a brief address. He told them that, though they were all wrong, he had no hostile feelings toward the Southern people, believing that not they but their leaders were responsible for the Rebellion; that he was no spy, as charged, but a soldier regularly detailed for military duty; that he did not regret to die for his country, but only regretted the manner of his death; and he added, for their admonition, that they would yet see the time when the old Union would be restored, and when its flag would wave over them again. And with these words the brave man died. He, like his comrades, calmly met the ignominious doom of a felon—but, happily, ignominious for him and for them only so far as the martyrdom of the patriot and the hero can be degraded by the hands of ruffians and traitors.
The fourteen remaining raiders were taken to Atlanta where they were confined. In October, 1862, all fourteen escaped from prison. Six made it back to Federal lines, six were recaptured, and the fate of two others has remained unknown.
On March 25, 1863, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton presented the very first Medals of Honor to the six remaining Ohio infantrymen, and gave them brevet commissions as lieutenants. Eventually all the raiders would be awarded the Medal of honor, save four: James Andrews, who was not eligible as a civilian, another civilian, and George Davenport Wilson and Phillip Gephart Shadrach.
It's not clear why Wilson and Shadrach were left out of the award of the Medal of Honor. Some reports say that Shadrach was disqualified because he had enlisted under a false name.
George Davenport Wilson was the son of George and Elizabeth Clark Wilson of Belmonmt County, Ohio. According to one source, he was married once, but divorced in 1861, before enlisting. He had a daughter and a son.
Phillip Gephart Shadrach (if that was his name) is listed on the military rolls as Charles Perry Shadrach. A source says he was the son of Robert and Elizabeth Shadrack of Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Information about him is difficult to come by and even more difficult to verify.
Congress on January 28, 2008 authorized the award of the Medal of Honor to these two heroic soldiers.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
An American Hero: PFC Henry Svehla: Help Bring Him Home
Note: This is the third in a series of four posts about heroic soldiers who were denied or overlooked for the Medal of Honor at the time of their extraordinary acts. Less than ten days ago, Congress authorized the award of the Medal to five of these men.
Henry Svehla was born in 1932 in Essex, New Jersey. His ancestors came from that part of the Czech Republic once known as Bohemia.
During the Korean War, Svehla served as a Private First Class with the 32nd Infantry, 7th Division. It was difficult in his case to find the "story behind the story." However, PFC Svehla was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for his actions on June 12, 1952. This is the same incident for which Congress has now voted to award him the Medal of Honor. A description of the incident can be found in the citation accompanying the DSC:
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Henry Svehla (RA21748254), Private First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with Company F, 2d Battalion, 32d Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Private First Class Svehla distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces at Pyongony, Korea, on 12 June 1952. Committed to determine enemy strength and capabilities on key terrain, Private Svehla's platoon forged up the rocky slope. Coming under heavy automatic-weapons and small-arms fire, the troops began to falter. Realizing the success of the mission was imperiled, Private Svehla charged forward, firing his weapon and throwing grenades. The men, rallying to the challenge, joined in the assault against a numerically superior foe and inflicted numerous casualties. Although wounded by a mortar burst, Private Svehla refused medical treatment and continued to lead the attack. During the ensuing conflict, an enemy grenade fell in the midst of the group. While attempting to dispose of the grenade to protect his comrades from injury which might result from the explosion of the grenade, Private Svehla lost his life.
Department of the Army, General Orders No. 18, February 18, 1953
Thanks to the folks at Home of Heroes for the citation.
According to the Department of Defense, Henry Svehla's body was either not recovered or not positively identified. It is not clear whether his family is aware of the recent Congressional action to award him the Medal of Honor or who pressed for that action.
Efforts are ongoing to identify the remains of PFC Svehla. The identification process is being handled at the Central Identification Laboratory (CIL) of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) in Honolulu, Hawaii. But the CIL scientists need a "Family Reference Sample" of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to complete their identification process for Henry Svehla. This type of DNA is only passed through the maternal line.
Your Help Needed!
PFC Henry N. Sevhla, American Hero, more than the Medal of Honor needs to come home. If you are one of PFC Svehla's family members who can provide a mtDNA sample, or if you are a genealogist interested in researching his fammily history to locate such a familly member, then youi can help bring him home. If you think you may be a suitable donor or you have any questions, all you need to do is contact a Department of Defense service casualty office for assistance. If you know people who are relatives of service members who are still missing in action, you can help by passing this information along. If you donate a sample of your mitochondrial DNA, you can rest assured that it will only be used for the purposes of assisting remains identification and will not be used for any other purpose or be released to other government agencies or any other organizations. If you donate a sample of your mitochondrial DNA to JPAC for identification purposes, you can rest assured that it will only be used for the purposes of assisting remains identification and will not be used for any other purpose or be released to other government agencies or any other organizations.
There are Svehla-surnamed folks living in New Jersey today. If you know them or are related to them, pass along this information. Please help bring this hero to his final resting place.
[By the way, you can learn if JPAC needs any other Family Reference SAmpales for other unidentified service members by going to the JPAC FRS search page.]
Here's a brochure that explains about Family Reference Samples.
Henry Svehla was born in 1932 in Essex, New Jersey. His ancestors came from that part of the Czech Republic once known as Bohemia.
During the Korean War, Svehla served as a Private First Class with the 32nd Infantry, 7th Division. It was difficult in his case to find the "story behind the story." However, PFC Svehla was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for his actions on June 12, 1952. This is the same incident for which Congress has now voted to award him the Medal of Honor. A description of the incident can be found in the citation accompanying the DSC:
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Henry Svehla (RA21748254), Private First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with Company F, 2d Battalion, 32d Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Private First Class Svehla distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces at Pyongony, Korea, on 12 June 1952. Committed to determine enemy strength and capabilities on key terrain, Private Svehla's platoon forged up the rocky slope. Coming under heavy automatic-weapons and small-arms fire, the troops began to falter. Realizing the success of the mission was imperiled, Private Svehla charged forward, firing his weapon and throwing grenades. The men, rallying to the challenge, joined in the assault against a numerically superior foe and inflicted numerous casualties. Although wounded by a mortar burst, Private Svehla refused medical treatment and continued to lead the attack. During the ensuing conflict, an enemy grenade fell in the midst of the group. While attempting to dispose of the grenade to protect his comrades from injury which might result from the explosion of the grenade, Private Svehla lost his life.
Department of the Army, General Orders No. 18, February 18, 1953
Thanks to the folks at Home of Heroes for the citation.
According to the Department of Defense, Henry Svehla's body was either not recovered or not positively identified. It is not clear whether his family is aware of the recent Congressional action to award him the Medal of Honor or who pressed for that action.
Efforts are ongoing to identify the remains of PFC Svehla. The identification process is being handled at the Central Identification Laboratory (CIL) of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) in Honolulu, Hawaii. But the CIL scientists need a "Family Reference Sample" of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to complete their identification process for Henry Svehla. This type of DNA is only passed through the maternal line.
Your Help Needed!
PFC Henry N. Sevhla, American Hero, more than the Medal of Honor needs to come home. If you are one of PFC Svehla's family members who can provide a mtDNA sample, or if you are a genealogist interested in researching his fammily history to locate such a familly member, then youi can help bring him home. If you think you may be a suitable donor or you have any questions, all you need to do is contact a Department of Defense service casualty office for assistance. If you know people who are relatives of service members who are still missing in action, you can help by passing this information along. If you donate a sample of your mitochondrial DNA, you can rest assured that it will only be used for the purposes of assisting remains identification and will not be used for any other purpose or be released to other government agencies or any other organizations. If you donate a sample of your mitochondrial DNA to JPAC for identification purposes, you can rest assured that it will only be used for the purposes of assisting remains identification and will not be used for any other purpose or be released to other government agencies or any other organizations.
There are Svehla-surnamed folks living in New Jersey today. If you know them or are related to them, pass along this information. Please help bring this hero to his final resting place.
[By the way, you can learn if JPAC needs any other Family Reference SAmpales for other unidentified service members by going to the JPAC FRS search page.]
Here's a brochure that explains about Family Reference Samples.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
An American Hero: Sgt Leslie H. Sabo, Jr.
Leslie Halasz Sabo, Jr., was born on February 23, 1948, in Austria. In 1950, his father, who had been a government official in Hungary, decided to move his family to the United States. They eventually ended up in Ellwood City, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. Leslie, Jr., graduated from Lincoln High School in Ellwood City in 1966. He went to college for awhile, but then quit to work at a steel mill.
Leslie Sabo was drafted in April, 1969, and he soon found himself in the Army.
He went to basic training and then advanced training at Fort Benning, Georgia. The Ellwood City Ledger reported in 2007 that Sabo took a brief leave in September, 1969, to return home and marry Rose Mary Buccelli. They later had a month together at the end of his training.
Sabo was assigned to Company B, 3rd Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. The 101st is a highly decorated, much celebrated Army division. Its 506th Regiment is likewise a well-storied unit. Its Company E was the subject of the book and television motion picture, Band of Brothers. And the title character in the motion picture, Saving Private Ryan, was a [fictional] member of the 506th.
In November, 1969, Sabo, then a Specialist 4 [a rank now denominated simply "Specialist," equivalent in pay to a corporal], met up with the rest of the 506th in Vietnam. They soon would be assigned to Operation Binh Tay I, part of the so-called Cambodian Incursion of 1970. It would be on May 10, 1970, that Leslie H. Sabo, Jr., would make the ultimate sacrifice.
The official report of what happened that day is straightforward, but incomplete. Sabo's Bravo Company had moved into Cambodia on May 5, 1970, from Pleiku, South Viet Nam. Their mission was to "find, fix, destroy and capture enemy personnel . . . ." Over the several days, Bravo Company took some small arms fire, but without significant casualties.
In the morning on May 10, 1970, Sabo's company found enemy locations along with Chinese-made weapons. Throughout the rest of the day, the U.S. troops continued to find significant enemy stores, supplies, and weapons. At one complex, they also found an abandoned hospital with150 chickens, 50 pigs, and 20 dogs. Shortly after 11:00 am, Bravo Company again was engaged in a firefight with the enemy; there were no casualties on either side.
Apparently, nothing else of significance happened until about four hours later. The official report gives this account of how Leslie H. Sabo, Jr., died:
Not surprisingly, Sabo's friends and family got conflicting stories on exactly how he died and nothing about his heroism in the battle.
In 2007, Sabo's friend George Koziol, who had been in another Bravo Company platoon, gave an account of the battle to the Ellwood City Ledger:
Koziol said the company had reached another clearing in the jungle when they were ambushed by a larger enemy force which had trapped the Americans in a three-sided pocket. Sabo's platoon was to the rear as the enemy attempted to encircle all of the U.S. troops. Sabo returned fire and used grenades against the enemy, which kept the U.S. troops from being encircled.
According to Koziol, Sabo spotted a wounded comrade about 30 yards away. Koziol said Sabo ran through enemy fire, reached the injured soldier, and began to give him first aid. At this point, enemy grenades were thrown at Sabo and the injured man. Koziol said that Sabo threw himself on top of his injured comrade thus shielding him from the explosion.
Koziol told the newspaper that the grenades apparently injured Sabo, but he lobbed a grenade at the enemy position, killing two of them.
Koziol said that Sabo ran through enemy fire again to strip ammunition belts from other fallen soldiers and tossed one to Koziol and another to another soldier. From that point, it was a life-or-death fight in which Sabo held the pocket open, allowing reinforcements and supplies to reach Bravo Company.
Koziol said he himself had been severely wounded by a greande, and he and another soldier were to be evacuated by helicopter, some seven hours after the ambush. As the helicopter arrived, it was attacked by the enemy. Koziol said Sabo came out from cover and fired back, giving the rescuers time to grab Koziol and the other wounded soldier.
The enemy fired at Sabo and Koziol said, "I saw him when he dropped his rifle, dropped to his knees and fell face first into the dirt."
Spec. 4 Sabo was promoted posthumously to sergeant.
It is said that Sabo was recommended for the Medal of Honor, but "the paperwork got lost." In 2002, another 101st veteran, Alton Mabb came across Sabo's records at the National Archives. MAbb took up the cause to get Sabo the Medal of Honor. He eventually found another eyewitness to the acts that Koziol described. Mabb took this information to Congresswoman, Rep. Corrine Brown of Florida, who shepherded the application through the Department of Defense and then Congress.
In May of 2006, the Secretary of the Army recommended Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. for the Medal of Honor. In 2007, legislation was introduced in Congress to authorize the award of the Medal to him, notwithstanding the three year statute of limitations, which has long ago run. That legislation passed Congress and was signed by the President on January 28, 2008.
Leslie H. Sabo, Jr.'s father passed away sometime ago and his mother is in a care facility. But his brother George Sabo and his widow, Rose Mary, and many friends from high school and the Army no doubt are looking forward to traveling to Washington to accept the Medal later this year at the White House, on behalf of Sgt Leslie H. Sabo, Jr.
Links Concerning Leslie H. Sabo, Jr.:
The Virtual Wall (memorial)
An Act of Courage - Ellwood City Ledger, 8 April 2007
Leslie Sabo was drafted in April, 1969, and he soon found himself in the Army.
He went to basic training and then advanced training at Fort Benning, Georgia. The Ellwood City Ledger reported in 2007 that Sabo took a brief leave in September, 1969, to return home and marry Rose Mary Buccelli. They later had a month together at the end of his training.
Sabo was assigned to Company B, 3rd Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. The 101st is a highly decorated, much celebrated Army division. Its 506th Regiment is likewise a well-storied unit. Its Company E was the subject of the book and television motion picture, Band of Brothers. And the title character in the motion picture, Saving Private Ryan, was a [fictional] member of the 506th.
In November, 1969, Sabo, then a Specialist 4 [a rank now denominated simply "Specialist," equivalent in pay to a corporal], met up with the rest of the 506th in Vietnam. They soon would be assigned to Operation Binh Tay I, part of the so-called Cambodian Incursion of 1970. It would be on May 10, 1970, that Leslie H. Sabo, Jr., would make the ultimate sacrifice.
The official report of what happened that day is straightforward, but incomplete. Sabo's Bravo Company had moved into Cambodia on May 5, 1970, from Pleiku, South Viet Nam. Their mission was to "find, fix, destroy and capture enemy personnel . . . ." Over the several days, Bravo Company took some small arms fire, but without significant casualties.
In the morning on May 10, 1970, Sabo's company found enemy locations along with Chinese-made weapons. Throughout the rest of the day, the U.S. troops continued to find significant enemy stores, supplies, and weapons. At one complex, they also found an abandoned hospital with150 chickens, 50 pigs, and 20 dogs. Shortly after 11:00 am, Bravo Company again was engaged in a firefight with the enemy; there were no casualties on either side.
Apparently, nothing else of significance happened until about four hours later. The official report gives this account of how Leslie H. Sabo, Jr., died:
At 1515H (3:15 pm) . . . [Bravo Company] was engaged by an unknown size VC/NVA [Viet Cong/North Vietnamese Army] resulting in 8 US KIA, 28 US WIA [wounded in action] with enemy losses unknown.Combat Operation After Action Report, Binh Tay I (Pacify West I), Cambodia, HQ 3rd Battalion (Airmobile), 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), APO San Francisco 96278.
Not surprisingly, Sabo's friends and family got conflicting stories on exactly how he died and nothing about his heroism in the battle.
In 2007, Sabo's friend George Koziol, who had been in another Bravo Company platoon, gave an account of the battle to the Ellwood City Ledger:
Koziol said the company had reached another clearing in the jungle when they were ambushed by a larger enemy force which had trapped the Americans in a three-sided pocket. Sabo's platoon was to the rear as the enemy attempted to encircle all of the U.S. troops. Sabo returned fire and used grenades against the enemy, which kept the U.S. troops from being encircled.
According to Koziol, Sabo spotted a wounded comrade about 30 yards away. Koziol said Sabo ran through enemy fire, reached the injured soldier, and began to give him first aid. At this point, enemy grenades were thrown at Sabo and the injured man. Koziol said that Sabo threw himself on top of his injured comrade thus shielding him from the explosion.
Koziol told the newspaper that the grenades apparently injured Sabo, but he lobbed a grenade at the enemy position, killing two of them.
Koziol said that Sabo ran through enemy fire again to strip ammunition belts from other fallen soldiers and tossed one to Koziol and another to another soldier. From that point, it was a life-or-death fight in which Sabo held the pocket open, allowing reinforcements and supplies to reach Bravo Company.
Koziol said he himself had been severely wounded by a greande, and he and another soldier were to be evacuated by helicopter, some seven hours after the ambush. As the helicopter arrived, it was attacked by the enemy. Koziol said Sabo came out from cover and fired back, giving the rescuers time to grab Koziol and the other wounded soldier.
The enemy fired at Sabo and Koziol said, "I saw him when he dropped his rifle, dropped to his knees and fell face first into the dirt."
Spec. 4 Sabo was promoted posthumously to sergeant.
It is said that Sabo was recommended for the Medal of Honor, but "the paperwork got lost." In 2002, another 101st veteran, Alton Mabb came across Sabo's records at the National Archives. MAbb took up the cause to get Sabo the Medal of Honor. He eventually found another eyewitness to the acts that Koziol described. Mabb took this information to Congresswoman, Rep. Corrine Brown of Florida, who shepherded the application through the Department of Defense and then Congress.
In May of 2006, the Secretary of the Army recommended Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. for the Medal of Honor. In 2007, legislation was introduced in Congress to authorize the award of the Medal to him, notwithstanding the three year statute of limitations, which has long ago run. That legislation passed Congress and was signed by the President on January 28, 2008.
Leslie H. Sabo, Jr.'s father passed away sometime ago and his mother is in a care facility. But his brother George Sabo and his widow, Rose Mary, and many friends from high school and the Army no doubt are looking forward to traveling to Washington to accept the Medal later this year at the White House, on behalf of Sgt Leslie H. Sabo, Jr.
Links Concerning Leslie H. Sabo, Jr.:
The Virtual Wall (memorial)
An Act of Courage - Ellwood City Ledger, 8 April 2007
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Craig, thank you for spotlighting these stories. These men are great heroes and deserve our highest honors. My thanks also goes to the people who kept their stories alive and continued the fight to insure those honors were awarded.
My name is Rose Mary Sabo Brown. The article you posted is about my husband. I just wanted let you know that this article was wonderful. Thank you so much for recognizing his story. I am anxiously awaiting for him to be awarded the Medal of Honor. He so deserves it. I am so proud of him.
My name is Kathleen E. Starkey. I am Rose Mary Sabo Brown's sister. I was introduced to Leslie when I was 12 yrs. old, in which we immediately connected and became fast friends. I loved him like a brother, and he was always there for me when I needed someone to talk to.
A few years later I was asked by my sister and him to be in their wedding. Even though I was just a kid, I felt honored to be apart of something very special. The love that was between them was so real, it made we want to have someone that special in my life too.
The day we found out our beloved Leslie was taken from us, left a hole in all our hearts. We never really knew exactly what happened to him in that foreign country and imaginations all ran wild. When we finally found out the truth about how he died, it gave us closure.
Incidentally, we weren't surprised to find that he died a hero, he was all of our heroes to begin with.
I know in my heart he is in heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ simply because he gave the ultimate gift, his life for his comrades.
He deserves this Medal of Honor, not only for what he did in Vietnam, but for who he was in everyone's life.
I will always love and miss him. Till we meet again in heaven,
your little sister,
Kathy
My name is Rick Brown and I was with Leslie Sabo that day in Cambodia May10,1970.The day before I had my 19th birthday and so I was very young.There is not a day since that I have not thought of Les Sabo and the other seven men we lost that day.I am writing this because Les and the rest we lost made it possible that I am here.On Jan 24,2008 I lost my best friend George Koziol to cancer who fought so hard to see that Les Sabo received the Medal of Honor.George was a witness to what Les did and was severely wounded as well.Les Sabo was in the 2nd Platoon and I was in the 3rd Platoon.Les was a man that gave up his life to protect us on that battlefield that day.Les Sabo will always be remember by his Brothers from Bravo Co 3/506 101st Abn