Forgotten Her es Jewish Medal of Honor Awardees

By Avi Heiligman

Not all battlefield heroes were awarded the Medal of Honor and had their stories printed on front pages of newspapers. Other medals and honors were awarded in small ceremonies or just handed to the honoree. Many of these awards for valor were recorded and stored in databases or out of print books, making it possible for historians to do research into the heroes’ stories. Here are some accounts of Jewish battlefield heroes whose stories are rarely told.

The story of Lieutenant Colonel Bertram Sheff from Salem, Oregon, was recorded in a book printed in 1944 by the Jewish Welfare Board. He received the Distinguished Service Cross, but the citation is not readily available online. Sheff was a regimental S-2 officer with the 361st Regimental Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, nicknamed the “Red Bull” Division. In mid-1944, they were a part of Lieutenant General Mark Clark’s Fifth Army push into the heart of Italy.

On June 9, 1944, Sheff was on a reconnaissance mission when, after rounding a curve, his jeep came face to face with a German armored car. The two vehicles stopped within three yards of each other. The Germans then opened fire with their machine gun, but Sheff quickly got out of his jeep. He climbed on top of the armored car and unloaded his .45 caliber pistol into an open port, killing the crew. After jumping down from the vehicle, he realized that it was still moving. The driver of the car was still alive, and Sheff once again jumped on the car. This time, he killed the driver, eliminating the German threat. General Clark personally awarded Sheff the Distinguished Service Cross. Sheff was also awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for other actions.

Private Nathan Greese from Chicago was sent to fight on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands with the 1 st Battalion, 132nd Infantry Regiment, 23rd Infantry Division (known as the Americal Division). On January 2, 1943, near Mount Austen, Greese’s platoon was pinned down by machine gun fire. He singlehandedly wiped out the Japanese machine gun nest by crawling forward and tossing hand grenades into the enemy position. Then, with his automatic rifle, Greese killed five enemy snipers. For his extraordinary heroism, Private Greese was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Nathan Greese was later killed while fighting on Bougainville.

Both army infantry and marine units fought on Guadalcanal in a battle that lasted from August 1943 until February 1943. Captain Howard Goodman of New York was fighting on the island with Company, M, Third Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment, 1 st Marine Division. On November 3, the Marines were launching an assault on Japanese positions when they ran into heavy machine gun and mortar fire. Goodman then led his men on three bayonet charges and threw grenades into Japanese positions while advancing through enemy lines. His charge led to the destruction of a Japanese battalion with minimal American casualties. For his courageous actions, Goodman was awarded the Silver Star. Goodman was beloved by his men and was the company’s bugler, even though he was a captain. Later in the war, Goodman’s unit captured an airfield during an assault on Cape Gloucester in New Britain, Territory of New Guinea. On January 7, 1944, he was killed on Hill 660 during the same battle.

Pilots were needed in large numbers and becoming a fighter pilot was more desirable than flying bomber or transport aircraft. Carrier pilots were specially trained to take off and land on a short runway. Sometimes heavy seas and night landings complicated the mission for an already exhausted pilot. Commander Sam Silber of Baltimore was a carrier fighter pilot in the navy and was credited with shooting down seven Japanese aircraft during the war. The ace pilot earned his wings in 1936 after joining the navy a year earlier. He flew F6F Hellcats and F4U Corsairs and was an executive officer with two fighter squadrons. He was stationed on both land bases and several aircraft carriers including USS Tarawa (CV-40) and USS Bunker Hill (CV-17).

On New Year’s Day 1944, Silber shot down three enemy planes in a span of three minutes while en route to attack Japanese shipping. Later that year, he led his squadron of Hellcat fighters in an attack over Truk. Five Japanese planes were shot down. In a reconnaissance over Guam, his squadron shot down planes in the air and eight more on the ground. They discovered an airfield whose location had previously been unknown. Over Tinian, his unit shot down four Japanese planes and around thirty on the ground. His record is proof that he was an excellent pilot, and accounts recall that his leadership was extraordinary. Silber’s awards included the Distinguished Service Cross, two Gold Stars, and the Air Medal.

These men are just a few of the many Jewish servicemen who were decorated for bravery during World War II. Their medals and decorations are a testament of heroics on the battlefield. While they are rarely talked about today, they are Forgotten Heroes.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.