CPL Tibor Rubin (I Co. 8th CAV, 1st CAV DIV) Korean War, 23JUL1950-20APR1953

23JUL1950-20APR1953: Having survived the Holocaust after being interned at the Mauthausen concentration camp, Tibor Rubin emigrated to the Untied States in 1948 and began looking into joining the Army. Passing the exams in 1950, now PFC Rubin quickly found himself headed to combat in South Korea.

Early in the war, as his unit retreated to the Pusan Perimeter, Rubin was noted to have held a sizable enemy force at bay for over 24 hours. His one-man stand allowed for the organized retreat of his unit, saving countless lives. For this, Rubin would be recommended for the Medal of Honor but the citation would never be submitted.

A few months later, as the first Chinese troops crossed into North Korea, CPL Rubin's unit was at risk of being surrounded and cut off. Without regard for his own safety, he manned a machine gun where the three previous gunners had been hit. Keeping pressure on the advancing enemy, Rubin allowed for his unit to retreat and link back in with UN forces. Wounded himself, Rubin was captured by the approaching Chinese forces.

For the next two and half years, Rubin would be held in a Chinese POW camp in horrible conditions. Due to his Hungarian descent, he was offered, but refused to be repatriated to the communist run country on multiple occasions. Rubin was said to have saved the lives of upwards of 40 American POWs as they looked to him for inspiration and hope in such a perilous time. On countless occasions, Rubin would sneak out of camp to gather food for his fellow prisoners, understanding he would be shot on sight if caught.

At the end of the war, Rubin came home but it wasn't until a review in 1993 and then 2001 that his case was flagged for feeling the effects of anti-antisemitism in the Armed Forces. In 2005, Tibor Rubin was awarded the Medal of Honor for his incredibly brave and heroic actions during the Korean War.