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Benjamin Solomon the first recipient and here is his story
Bennie is
a 29 yr old Jewish dentist with the 27th Infantry Division, who was on Saipan in July 1944.
Somehow his dental tent was 30 yds behind the front lines.
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The Japs attack Bennie
5,000
Japanese soldiers hit the Regiment’s 2,000 strong 1st and
2d Battalions.
It was one of the largest attacks attempted in the Pacific
Theater during World War II. Although both units fought furiously, the
enemy soon penetrated the Battalions’ combined perimeter and inflicted
hundreds of casualties.
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Bennie keeps filling cavities
30 wounded soldiers walked and crawled, into
Captain Salomon's tent. As the perimeter began to be overrun, it became
increasingly difficult for Captain Salomon to work on the wounded.
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Bennie sees Jap brutality
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Japanese start bayoneting wounded
soldiers outside his ' Dental Station ' and Bennie goes into battle
mode.
Crouching behind his dental chair he
shoots the first Jap . Next he sees two Japs crawling under the tent -
he draws his 45 and plugs them. Four more attack and
Bennie rushes them, he kicks the knife out of the hand of one, shots
another, and bayoneted a third. He head butts the fourth Jap and his
dental orderly shoots him.
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" Get the hell out of here " |
Bennie orders the Battalion to retreat
Realizing the
gravity of the situation, Captain Salomon ordered the battalion and
the wounded to retreat while he attempted to hold off the enemy
until they were clear.
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