Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Captain Benjamin Louis Salomon was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions on July 7, 1944 in Saipan, Saipan, Marianas Islands during World War II. At the time he was serving with 2nd Battalion, 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. Salomon was 28 years old.
Salomon was killed in the action for which his medal was awarded. 3 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on May 1, 2002, 57 years after the action — the White House, Rose Garden - Presented by President George Walker Bush to Robert West.
Salomon was born on September 1, 1915 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. His medal is held by U.S. Army Medical Department Museum, Fort Sam Houston, TX ; University of Southern California Dental School (duplicate Medal), Los Angeles, CA.
Salomon is one of 474 Medal of Honor recipients from World War II and one of 50 credited to Wisconsin.
Official Medal of Honor citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Captain Ben L. Salomon was serving at Saipan, in the Marianas Islands on July 7, 1944, as the Surgeon for the 2nd Battalion, 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. The Regiment's 1st and 2nd Battalions were attacked by an overwhelming force estimated between 3,000 and 5,000 Japanese soldiers. It was one of the largest attacks attempted in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Although both units fought furiously, the enemy soon penetrated the Battalions' combined perimeter and inflicted overwhelming casualties. In the first minutes of the attack, approximately 30 wounded soldiers walked, crawled, or were carried into Captain Salomon's aid station, and the small tent soon filled with wounded men. As the perimeter began to be overrun, it became increasingly difficult for Captain Salomon to work on the wounded. He then saw a Japanese soldier bayoneting one of the wounded soldiers lying near the tent. Firing from a squatting position, Captain Salomon quickly killed the enemy soldier. Then, as he turned his attention back to the wounded, two more Japanese soldiers appeared in the front entrance of the tent. As these enemy soldiers were killed, four more crawled under the tent walls. Rushing them, Captain Salomon kicked the knife out of the hand of one, shot another, and bayoneted a third. Captain Salomon butted the fourth enemy soldier in the stomach and a wounded comrade then shot and killed the enemy soldier. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Captain Salomon ordered the wounded to make their way as best they could back to the regimental aid station, while he attempted to hold off the enemy until they were clear. Captain Salomon then grabbed a rifle from one of the wounded and rushed out of the tent. After four men were killed while manning a machine gun, Captain Salomon took control of it. When his body was later found, 98 dead enemy soldiers were piled in front of his position. Captain Salomon's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself his unit and the United States Army.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Wounds and death in action
- Killed in action during the act for which the medal was awarded (July 7, 1944).
- Cause of death: stab wound, gunshot wound
- Age at death: 28
- Resting place: Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Cause and manner of death: Wikidata.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: World War II.
Life beyond the battlefield
- Occupations: surgeon, dentist
- Education: University of Southern California. School of Dentistry, Marquette University, Shorewood High School, University of Southern California
Source: Wikidata.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Wisconsin →
Timeline
- September 1, 1915Born in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
- July 7, 1944Act of valor — Saipan, Saipan, Marianas IslandsAge 28. 2nd Battalion, 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division Killed in action.
- May 1, 2002Medal of Honor presented posthumouslyThe White House, Rose Garden - Presented by President George Walker Bush to Robert West
- Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial ParkGlendale, California
Biography
Benjamin Lewis Salomon (September 1, 1914 – July 7, 1944) was a United States Army dentist during World War II, assigned as a front-line surgeon. During the Battle of Saipan, when the Japanese started overrunning his hospital, he stood a rear-guard action in which he had no hope of personal survival, allowing the safe evacuation of the wounded, killing as many as 98 enemy troops before being killed himself. In 2002, Salomon posthumously received the Medal of Honor. He is one of only three dental officers to have received the medal, the others being Alexander Gordon Lyle and Weedon Osborne, and is one of three Jewish American soldiers who received the medal for World War II.
From the Wikipedia article “Ben L. Salomon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
Further reading
- 3 Dentist Medal of Honor Recipientscmohs.org · 2023
