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November 7, 1944. Private First Class
Leonard's platoon was reduced to eight men as a result of blistering artillery, mortar, machinegun, and rifle fire. Private First Class Leonard led the survivors in an assault over a hill covered by trees and shrubs which the enemy continuously swept with automatic weapons fire. Ignoring bullets which pierced his pack, Private First Class Leonard killed two snipers at ranges of fifty and seventy-five yards and engaged and destroyed a machinegun nest with grenades, killing its two-man crew. Though momentarily stunned by an exploding bazooka shell, Private First Class Leonard relentlessly advanced, ultimately knocking out a second machinegun nest and capturing the roadblock objective. Private First Class Leonard's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
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180:. The award resulted from a Defense Authorization Act which directed a review of all Jewish American and Hispanic American veterans from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War who had been awarded lower-precedence valor awards to ensure that no prejudice was shown to those deserving the Medal of Honor. In Leonard's case, he had originally been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the United States' second-highest decoration for combat valor.
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w/bronze arrowhead device and one silver and three bronze service stars for the Sicily (Ground), Naples-Foggia (Ground), Anzio, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and
Central Europe campaigns. Credited with three assault landings: Licata, 9-11 Jul 43; Anzio, 22-23 Jan 44 and
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Private First Class
William F. Leonard distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Squad Leader in Company C, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division during combat operations against an armed enemy near St. Die, France on
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WDGO 18-45 for the period 6-7 Sep 44, and WDGO 44-45 for the period 22 Jan - 6 Feb 45, with the former only for 1st
Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division as per Department of the Army Pamphlet 672-1 dated July 6, 1961, pages 82–83
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DAGO 43-50 for the period 15 Aug 44 - 6 Feb 45, for 60th
Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division as per Department of the Army Pamphlet 672-1 dated July 6, 1961, pages 82–83
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Born in
Lockport, New York, Leonard would enter the United States Army from Buffalo NY, on November 17, 1942.
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162:(August 9, 1913 – August 4, 1985) was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and a recipient of the
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posthumously awarded him the Medal of Honor in a March 18, 2014, ceremony in the
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Private First Class
Leonard's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
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This biographical article related to the United States military is a
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497:"Obama will award Medal of Honor to 24 overlooked Army veterans"
429:"Lockport veteran to be posthumously awarded Medal of Honor"
200:Leonard's military decorations and awards include:
408:List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
361:Southern France 15-16 Aug 44 all per WDGO 70–45.
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358:European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
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457:"Staff Sergeant William F. Leonard"
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567:. You can help Knowledge by
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116:30th Infantry Regiment
64:Lockport, New York, US
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120:3rd Infantry Division
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160:William F. Leonard
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508:2014-02-21
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172:President
81:Allegiance
41:1913-08-09
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461:Army.mil
402:See also
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334:1st row
89:Service/
324:Badge
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69:Buried
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55:Died
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
