Bridgton’s George Libby Medal of Honor recipient

Western Maine Bridgton’s George Libby

Medal of Honor recipient by Charles Francis G eorge Libby of Bridgton was a moral man. The rules of conduct that George Libby adhered to were of the very highest order. George Libby placed the lives of others above his own. He did so more than once, and in doing so lost his life.

George Libby lost his life in Korea as a result of wounds he received on July 20, 1950. The date is significant because it was less than a month after the North Korean Army crossed the 35th Parallel. That date was June 25, 1950, the date accepted by most scholars and historians as the beginning of the Korean Conflict.

Theologians may debate the nature of moral principle. It is doubtful, however, that any would dismiss altruism, selflessness, and stewardship as being anything but examples of the highest order of morality. George Libby exhibited each of these moral principles.

Sergeant George Libby was wounded in two separate actions on July 20, 1950. The actions occurred at roadblocks. During the separate actions, Libby received a series of wounds. Sergeant Libby received the first series of wounds when he deliberately placed himself between the driver of a vehicle who was loading wounded and the enemy. He did this in order to return enemy fire. It needs to be noted that the driver of the vehicle, an artillery tractor, was the only person available to operate it. If the driver was killed it would have meant an end to any use of the vehicle — and the end to those who had been wounded. The vehicle bearing the wounded as well as Sergeant Libby left the location of the first action only to encounter more enemy fire. Rather than receive medical care for his wounds, Sergeant Libby opted to return that fire.

The series of wounds Sergeant Libby received at the second roadblock occurred in much the same circumstances as those of the first action. Libby again shielded the driver of the vehicle carrying wounded with his own person.

George Libby is one of just five Maine men to receive the Medal of Honor for service in Korea. He was the first of the five. It was posthumously awarded on August 2, 1951.

George Libby was a sergeant with Company C of the 3rd Engineer Combat Battalion. Prior to the commence-

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ment of hostilities in Korea, the 3rd was stationed in Japan. The 3rd was one of the very first American battalions stationed in Japan to be moved to the front lines of Korea in July of 1950.

On July 20, 1950 Sergeant Libby received orders to take a patrol out to observe the enemy. Libby’s orders were to report back if the enemy seemed a threat to Company C, and to delay the enemy in any way possible. Libby’s patrol encountered an enemy roadblock. In the ensuing firefight all of the men of the patrol were either killed or wounded except for Sergeant Libby. Libby used a ditch as cover to continue firing at the enemy. In continuing to harass the enemy, Libby prevented the North Koreans from killing his wounded men. When the artillery tractor appeared on the scene and began loading the wounded, Libby received his first series of wounds.

George Libby had been part of the American occupation force in Japan. As such, his duty was that of carrying out the peacetime responsibilities of military personnel. Within the span of a bit less than two weeks, Sergeant Libby found himself in a wartime situation. On July 20, Sergeant Libby was a man willing to sacrifice himself for the wounded men of his patrol. Some might ask why.

Men who go beyond the call of duty are few. True sacrifice seems most often associated with combat. Soldiers sacrifice themselves for their comrades — their closest friends — the half dozen or so that they eat with, sleep with, laugh with, and work with. These are the men of their immediate section. They are the comrades they will not let down in moments of desperation and terror. The very highest of moral principles seem likely to be exhibited at the personal level. It is only later that accolades such as the word gallant come to be used.

George Libby’s heroic actions occurred near the Imjin River in the general area of Taejon, Korea. Today a bridge named for Sergeant Libby spans the Imjin. Built by the 54th Engineer Construction Battalion in 1951, it is a fine, long concrete span which is still in use today. At the dedication ceremonies of the bridge, General Maxwell Taylor read from George Libby’s Medal of Honor citation. In part, those words describing Libby are, “His courage and gallant self-sacrifice reflect the highest credit on himself, and uphold the esteemed traditions of military service.” The Libby Bridge over Korea’s Imjin River is far from the Bridgton where George Libby was born in 1919. However, there is a memorial much closer to Sergeant Libby’s native land and state that recognizes his sacrifice and the service of others like him. It is the Maine Korean War Memorial in Mt. Hope Cemetery in Bangor.

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