Medal of Honor receipient dies. - Aircraft of World War II

syscom3 · 05-27-2006, 01:16 PM

BOVEY, Minn. - Donald E. Rudolph Sr., who received a Medal of Honor for bravery for destroying two Japanese machine gun nests during World War II, has died. He was 85.

Rudolph died Thursday of complications from
Alzheimer's disease, said Itasca County Veterans Services Officer Marvin Ott, who spoke with Rudolph's wife, Helen, on Friday. He had been ill for several years.

President Harry S. Truman presented Rudolph with the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor, on Aug. 23, 1945.

On Feb. 5 of that year, the young Army sergeant crossed a battlefield on Luzon island in the northern Philippines alone — protecting himself with grenades — when the company that was supposed to be supporting his unit was pinned down. He destroyed two Japanese pillboxes before attacking and neutralizing six others. Then, when his unit came under fire from a tank, he climbed onto the tank and dropped a white phosphorus grenade through the turret, killing the crew.

According to the U.S. Army Center of Military History, "Rudolph cleared a path for an advance which culminated in one of the most decisive victories of the Philippine campaign."

Rudolph, who was struck by shrapnel, was promoted to second lieutenant.

As a recipient of the prestigious medal, Rudolph and his wife attended several presidential inaugurations, where Rudolph met Presidents Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton and George W. Bush.

After retiring from the Army in 1963, he worked for the Veterans Administration as a veterans benefit counselor until retiring in 1976.

Rudolph is survived by his wife, a son and three grandchildren.

Wildcat · 05-27-2006, 01:29 PM

Gnomey · 05-27-2006, 02:39 PM

DerAdlerIstGelandet · 05-28-2006, 09:29 AM

Nonskimmer · 05-28-2006, 09:38 AM

plan_D · 05-29-2006, 05:38 PM

Sounds like something out of Hollywood. A brave man!

Soundbreaker Welch? · 05-30-2006, 05:39 PM

You're right. In "The Shores of Iwo Jima" John Wayne blows up one bumker. Looks pretty cool and it seems like almost a unbelievable feat that he survived.

But what this Rudolph did running up to several bunkers with only grenades and then a tank with so many likely chances to be killed by a mortal bullet in his body.....Whew. The man that couldn't die.

Vassili Zaitzev · 06-01-2006, 11:41 AM

I've read stories on other medal of honor recipients. It amazes me how they can pull of the fighting they did while their comrades died around and with the horror of war. Like Audie Murphy, held off German tanks and infantry on with a machine gun on a M10 and artillery strikes around him.

05-27-2006, 01:16 PM	#1
syscom3 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 10,283	Medal of Honor receipient dies. BOVEY, Minn. - Donald E. Rudolph Sr., who received a Medal of Honor for bravery for destroying two Japanese machine gun nests during World War II, has died. He was 85. Rudolph died Thursday of complications from Alzheimer's disease, said Itasca County Veterans Services Officer Marvin Ott, who spoke with Rudolph's wife, Helen, on Friday. He had been ill for several years. President Harry S. Truman presented Rudolph with the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor, on Aug. 23, 1945. On Feb. 5 of that year, the young Army sergeant crossed a battlefield on Luzon island in the northern Philippines alone — protecting himself with grenades — when the company that was supposed to be supporting his unit was pinned down. He destroyed two Japanese pillboxes before attacking and neutralizing six others. Then, when his unit came under fire from a tank, he climbed onto the tank and dropped a white phosphorus grenade through the turret, killing the crew. According to the U.S. Army Center of Military History, "Rudolph cleared a path for an advance which culminated in one of the most decisive victories of the Philippine campaign." Rudolph, who was struck by shrapnel, was promoted to second lieutenant. As a recipient of the prestigious medal, Rudolph and his wife attended several presidential inaugurations, where Rudolph met Presidents Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton and George W. Bush. After retiring from the Army in 1963, he worked for the Veterans Administration as a veterans benefit counselor until retiring in 1976. Rudolph is survived by his wife, a son and three grandchildren. __________________ "Pilot to copilot..... what are those mountain goats doing up here in the clouds?"

05-27-2006, 01:29 PM	#2
Wildcat Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Queensland Posts: 4,543	__________________

05-27-2006, 02:39 PM	#3
Gnomey "World Traveller" Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Royal Deeside/St Andrews, Scotland, UK Posts: 15,224	__________________ "Success is not Final, Failure is not Fatal, it is the Courage to Continue that Counts" Sir Winston Churchill "To him the People of the World Largely owe the Freedom and Liberties they Enjoy Today" Enscription on Hugh Dowding's (AOC Fighter Command 1936-40) statue in London WW2 Talk: A WW2 Discussion Forum My Photo Collections on Flickr

05-28-2006, 09:29 AM	#4
DerAdlerIstGelandet Der Crewchief Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ansbach, Germany Posts: 33,152	__________________ fly boy:"isnt that the first jet bomber becasue i have flown one in a flight sim before and i know how it handles"[/I]

05-29-2006, 05:38 PM	#6
plan_D Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 11,978	Sounds like something out of Hollywood. A brave man! __________________ "When you go home tomorrow, don't expect anyone to know what you have been through. Even if they did know, most people probably wouldn't care anyway. Some of you may get the medals you deserve, many more of you will not. But remember this, all of you are now members of the front-line club, and that is the most exclusive club in the world." - Lt. Col. Matthew Maer CO 1st Battalion, the Princess of Wale's Royal Regiment. Camp Abu Naji, Oct. 2004 To those in that club.

05-28-2006, 09:38 AM	#5
Nonskimmer Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia Posts: 8,871

05-30-2006, 05:39 PM	#7
Soundbreaker Welch? Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 1,893	You're right. In "The Shores of Iwo Jima" John Wayne blows up one bumker. Looks pretty cool and it seems like almost a unbelievable feat that he survived. But what this Rudolph did running up to several bunkers with only grenades and then a tank with so many likely chances to be killed by a mortal bullet in his body.....Whew. The man that couldn't die. __________________ "His motor's conked out!" "What's the differance, they're all Nazis!" "Luke, shut up!" "Fear the hook!" "Oh.....I wanna fly." "You mean the kind that go under water and fly up the stairs?" "What you doing? Oh Nooooo!" Last edited by Soundbreaker Welch?; 05-30-2006 at 05:43 PM.

06-01-2006, 11:41 AM	#8
Vassili Zaitzev Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Stafford Springs, Connecticut Posts: 2,221	I've read stories on other medal of honor recipients. It amazes me how they can pull of the fighting they did while their comrades died around and with the horror of war. Like Audie Murphy, held off German tanks and infantry on with a machine gun on a M10 and artillery strikes around him.

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