Hall of Heroes:American Jewish Recipients of The Medal of Honor

LIEUTENANT HENRY MARK

Distinguished Service Cross

Lieutenant Mark served with General Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines. He was killed in action on Bataan when he attempted to smash enemy tanks advancing on his position with hand grenades. Running across an open rice field to hurl the grenade, he was felled by an enemy sniper in a tree.

PRIVATE JEAN MATHIAS

Distinguished Service Cross

Marine Jean Mathias served with the 43rd Company, Fifth Regiment, Second Division during World War I. He received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Croix de Guerre with Gold Star and the Naval Distinguished Service Medal.

His citation reads: "For extraordinary heroism in action in the Boise de Billeau, France, June 11, 1918, After all the other members of his group had been killed or wounded by fire from the enemy machine guns, Private Mathias charged the gun position alone, killing three of the crew and capturing the gun."

PRIVATE ARTHUR C. MAYER

Distinguished Service Cross

Private Mayer, of Chicago, IL. received the Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart for extraordinary heroism in action in France during World War II.

CORPORAL ALFRED M. E. MEYEROWITZ

Distinguished Service Cross

Corporal Meyerowitz received the Distinguished Service Cross for the extraordinary heroism he displayed at Samogneaux on November 3, 1918. Meyerowitz, who had served with the Rhode Island National Guard on the Mexican border, had rejoined his outfit immediately after America's entry into World War I. His unit was C Battery, 103rd Field Artillery, 26th Division. The citation for Meyerowitz declares that, "he went, under terrific shellfire, to repair an important telephone wire. While performing his duty, he was seriously wounded in the arm. However, he persisted in his search for the break, without thought of obtaining medical assistance. He went to the end of the line and then returned, still watching for new breaks, although his arm was by this time hanging limp and useless at his side."

LIEUTENANT JACK MILLER

Navy Cross

Lieutenant Miller lost his life on Guadalcanal and received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart posthumously. He was commanding officer of a Marine platoon. He led a flank attack on a strong enemy combat patrol in the face of heavy enemy fire and was felled by a Japanese machine gun. He died the next day.

LIEUTENANT LEONARD MORIBER

Distinguished Service Cross

Lieutenant Moriber's unit made more amphibious landings than any other outfit in Europe during World War II. Lieutenant Moriber, an infantryman who was wounded in action 4 times, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star (Oak-Leaf Cluster), a Presidential Citation (2 Oak-Leaf Clusters), Bronze Star, Purple Heart (3 Oak-Leaf Clusters) and the French awards Fourragere and Croix de Guerre.

Moriber served in Italy and France. He received the Silver Star for capturing a machine-gun nest. He received the Bronze Star for leading his company to the capture of sixty Germans in a quarry, somewhere in Italy.

He received the Distinguished Service Cross for an action the next day: he and three others were on reconnaissance duty when he decided that there might be more Germans where the sixty had come from. They set out to find them. "I was leading the patrol," Moriber reported, "when we came across four Germans. We had a skirmish and killed the four Germans. But my pistol was hit by gunfire and rendered useless. Others in the patrol had little or no ammunition.

"We continued on to the stone quarry and I ordered the Germans to come out, telling them they were surrounded by U.S. troops. Eight came out with their hands up and dropped their guns. The others inside opened fire. When the going got tough I was able to get my hands on a gun that would shoot. We killed eight Germans in the skirmish. After that the Germans remaining in the quarry obeyed and surrendered. They were marched back to camp. There were 100 in all."

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