In Memoriam...  David B. Bleak MOH, MH00006... March 23, 2006

Born: Feb 27, 1932 at Idaho Falls, ID
Entered Service At: Shelley, ID
Date/Place of Action: Jun 14, 1952 - Minari-gol, Korea
Unit: Medical Company, 2d Bn, 223d Infantry, 40th Infantry Division
Presentation: Presented at the White House
by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on Oct 27, 1953

A medic with a recon patrol, Bleak ignored enemy fire to reach and treat the wounded. In trench warfare he killed two enemy with his hands and a third with a knife, all while searching out and treating the wounded. He used his own body to shield one man from a grenade blast, and when attacked by two enemy with bayonets while carrying one wounded man to safety, he grabbed both and smacked their heads together, then continued to carry the man to safety.

U.S. Senator Larry Craig, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, commented: “There are just a handful of people who have ever earned the Medal of Honor. David Bleak was one of those heroes and his passing leaves a big hole in the fabric of our nation.”  [Read More...]

More information and tributes:  MedalOfHonor.com; U.S. Army Medical Department; HomeOfHeros.com; The Washington Post

(Posted 3/28/06)