For his actions during World War II, Herbert F. Christian (June 18, 1912 – June 3, 1944) was awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest honor bestowed by the US military. In order to save his troop from an ambush during the push on Rome, Christian bravely drew German fire, earning him the Medal of Honor posthumously.
Private Christian
Herbert F. Christian, the son of John G. Christian and Nellie Arthurs, was born in Byesville, Ohio, on June 18, 1912. He had previously been a prisoner at the reform institution known as the Ohio Boys’ Industrial School. Christian, a truck driver at the time, wed Katherine Hoffman, a saleswoman, on January 27, 1939, and the two of them had a son in 1940. After that, he worked in Canton, Ohio, as an insurance salesperson.
In November 1942, Herbert F. Christian was drafted into the Army through Selective Service from Steubenville, Ohio, and by June 1944, he was a private in the 3rd Infantry Division’s Company E, 15th Infantry Regiment.
At 23:00 on June 2, during the assault on Rome, Herbert F. Christian moved out to cross Highway 6 at Valmontone with a company patrol and perform a reconnaissance of the area. They had mostly completed their work by 1:00 the following day, but they were ambushed in a clearing from three sides and were fired upon by at least sixty infantrymen, three tanks, and three machine guns. Later, the patrol’s second-in-command stated that the surviving fell to the ground and the patrol leader was swiftly slain. The latter saw the patrol’s Browning Automatic Rifle man, Private Elden H. Johnson, and Christian, a Thompson gunner, get up to deflect German attention and give the order to move to the rear.
Herbert F. Christian proceeded to crawl forward and fire into the German infantry, killing and wounded at least three. He was soon struck by a 20 mm round that almost destroyed his leg. He emptied his gun at a German machine pistol man within 10 yards of the German trenches, reloaded, and fired one final shot before being killed by German fire. A year later, on May 30, 1945, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for these acts; similar honors were given to Johnson, who was killed at the same time.
On June 18, 1945, Christian’s 33rd birthday, 5th Service Command Commanding General James Lawton Collins gave his five-year-old son the Medal of Honor in a ceremony at Fort Hayes. In addition to surviving him, Christian’s wife attended the wedding. Christian, who was 31 when he passed away, was laid to rest in Byesville’s Greenwood Cemetery.
In 1965, during the Ohio State Fair, a youth camp for reform school inmates bearing his name was dedicated. In 1972, the camp was shut down when an inmate-started fire spread to the fairgrounds, resulting in damage worth $5 million.
Medal of Honor citation
The official Medal of Honor citation for Private Herbert F. Christian is as follows:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 2–3 June 1944, at 1 a.m., Pvt. Christian elected to sacrifice his life in order that his comrades might extricate themselves from an ambush. Braving massed fire of about 60 riflemen, 3 machineguns, and 3 tanks from positions only 30 yards distant, he stood erect and signaled to the patrol to withdraw. The whole area was brightly illuminated by enemy flares. Although his right leg was severed above the knee by cannon fire, Pvt. Christian advanced on his left knee and the bloody stump of his right thigh, firing his submachine gun. Despite excruciating pain, Pvt. Christian continued on his self-assigned mission. He succeeded in distracting the enemy and enabled his 12 comrades to escape. He killed 3 enemy soldiers almost at once. Leaving a trail of blood behind him, he made his way forward 20 yards, halted at a point within 10 yards of the enemy, and despite intense fire killed a machine-pistol man. Reloading his weapon, he fired directly into the enemy position. The enemy appeared enraged at the success of his ruse, concentrated 20-mm. machinegun, machine-pistol and rifle fire on him, yet he refused to seek cover. Maintaining his erect position, Pvt. Christian fired his weapon to the very last. Just as he emptied his submachinegun, the enemy bullets found their mark and Pvt. Christian slumped forward dead. The courage and spirit of self-sacrifice displayed by this soldier were an inspiration to his comrades and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the armed forces.
