Tibor Rubin

Tibor Rubin. United States Army. , Tibor Rubin, born in Hungary and a Holocaust survivor, was liberated from Mauthausen Concentration Camp by American soldiers May 5, 1945. Rubin vowed "...that I would go to the United States and join the Army to express my thanks." In 1948 he landed in NYC. Two years later he passed the English exam and enlisted., In June 1950 war broke out in Korea. Rubin, now a US Army soldier found himself on the front lines., By the fall, Rubin had been wounded several times. He was captured under communist forces on November 2. Unlike many other prisoners who struggled to adapt to their situation, Rubin had the experience to know how to survive the deprivations. He would sneak out of the camp at night and steal food from enemy supply depots. He knew that to do nothing was certain death., [Left photo caption reads] Corporal Tibor Rubin, after receiving the Medal of Honor during a ceremony at the East Room of the White House, Sept. 23, 2005., [Right photo has no caption; photo shows Rubin with background photo of world war two concentration camp internees], After two and a half years of imprisonment the prisoners were freed on April 21, 1953, Twice a prisoner by 24, Rubin had spent nearly four years of his life surviving dreadful camp conditions. But his experiences as a prisoner at the Mauthausen concentration camp in world war two prepared him to survive being a prisoner of war just five years later., On November 27, 1953, Tibor Rubin became a US citizen., In 2002, the National Defense Authorization Act, was passed. It called for the review of war records of Jewish and Hispanic American personnel from World War II through Vietnam, to determine if any met criteria for the Medal of Honor, but had been denied due to racism., On September 25, 2005, in a ceremony at the White House, President George W. Bush presented 76-year-old Tibor Rubin with the Medal of Honor. The only Holocaust survivor to also become a Medal of Honor recipient. Rubin died in 2015 at the age of 86., INSPIRING BOOKS and FILM , Now, Rubin's story is told in "Medal of Honor: Tibor Rubin," in an issue of the Association of the United States Army's graphic novel series. You can view or download a free copy at , www.ausa.org/rubin, CITATION, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Corporal Rubin distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism during the period from July 23, 1950 to April 20, 1953 while serving as a rifleman with Company I, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division in the Republic of Korea., While his unit was retreating to the Pusan Perimeter, Corporal Rubin was assigned to stay behind to keep open the vital Taegu-Pusan Road link used by his withdrawing unit. During the ensuing battle, overwhelming numbers of North Korean troops assaulted a hill defended solely by Corporal Rubin. He inflicted a staggering number of casualties on the attackers during his personal 24-hour battle, single-handedly slowing the enemy advance and allowing the 8th Cavalry Regiment to successfully withdrawal., On October 30, 1950, Chinese forces attacked his unit at Unsan, North Korea, during a massive night time assault. That night and throughout the next day, he operated a .30 caliber machine gun at the south end of the unit's line after three previous gunners became casualties. His determined stand slowed the pace of the enemy advance in his sector permitting the remnants of his unit to retreat southward., As the battle raged. Corporal Rubin was severely wounded and captured by the Chinese. Choosing to remain in the prison camp despite offers to return him to his native Hungary, Corporal Rubin disregarded his own personal safety and immediately began sneaking out of the camp at night in search of food for his comrades. Breaking into enemy food storehouses, he risked certain torture or death if caught. He provided not only food to the starving soldiers, but also desperately needed medical care and moral support for the sick and wounded of the POW camp. His brave, selfless efforts were directly attributed to saving the lives of as many as 40 of his fellow prisoners., Corporal Rubin's gallant actions in close contact with the enemy and unyielding courage and bravery while a prisoner of war is in the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army., CONFLICT/ERA: Korean War , RANK: Corporal , UNIT/COMMAND: Company I, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division , ENLISTED FROM: New York, NY, United States , BORN: June 18, 1928, Pásztó, Hungary , ACTION PLACE: Korea , ACTION DATE: July 23, 1950 , PRESENTATION DETAILS: Presented by President George W. Bush , PRESENTATION DATE: September 25, 2005 , DIED: December 5, 2015 , BURIED: Mount Sinai Memorial Park, Los Angeles, CA, United States