Stanley Bender (October 31, 1909 – June 22, 1994) was a

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soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

—for his actions in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Biography

Stanley Bender was born in

Carlisle, West Virginia Carlisle is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Fayette County, West Virginia, Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. Carlisle is located on West Virginia Route 612, southwest of Oak Hill, West Virginia, Oak Hill. The com ...

, but later moved with his parents to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, where he worked in slaughterhouses and then as a taxi driver. Bender joined the Army from

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in December 1939. By August 17, 1944, was serving as a

staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...

in Company E, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. On that day, near

La Londe-les-Maures La Londe-les-Maures (; oc, La Lònda dei Mauras) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Population Points of interest *Jardin d'Oiseaux TropicauxLa Londe Jazz Festival See also *Com ...

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, he single-handedly silenced two

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

machine gun emplacements and led his

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and US doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a team, but smaller than a section." while US Army do ...

in the destruction of the remainder of a German strong point. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor six months later, on February 1, 1945. After the war, Bender returned to Chicago. From 1946 to 1949, Stanley Bender was a member of the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

's Lithuanian Darius-Girėnas Post and was a member of its command. Thereafter, he was transferred to

Beckley, West Virginia Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It was founded on April 4, 1838. This city is the home of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology or West Virginia University, Beckley Campus. ...

for service. Bender died at age 84 and was buried in High Lawn Memorial Park,

Oak Hill, West Virginia Oak Hill is a city in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States and is the primary city within the Oak Hill, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area. The micropolitan area is also included in the Beckley-Oak Hill, WV Combined Statistical Area. The ...

Medal of Honor citation

Bender's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 17 August 1944, near La Londe-les-Maures, France, he climbed on top of a knocked-out tank, in the face of withering machinegun fire which had halted the advance of his company, in an effort to locate the source of this fire. Although bullets ricocheted off the turret at his feet, he nevertheless remained standing upright in full view of the enemy for over 2 minutes. Locating the enemy machineguns on a knoll 200 yards away, he ordered 2 squads to cover him and led his men down an irrigation ditch, running a gauntlet of intense machinegun fire, which completely blanketed 50 yards of his advance and wounded 4 of his men. While the Germans hurled
hand grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...
s at the ditch, he stood his ground until his squad caught up with him, then advanced alone, in a wide flanking approach, to the rear of the knoll. He walked deliberately a distance of 40 yards, without cover, in full view of the Germans and under a hail of both enemy and friendly fire, to the first machinegun and knocked it out with a single short burst. Then he made his way through the strong point, despite bursting hand grenades, toward the second machinegun, 25 yards distant, whose 2-man crew swung the machinegun around and fired two bursts at him, but he walked calmly through the fire and, reaching the edge of the emplacement, dispatched the crew. Signaling his men to rush the rifle pits, he then walked 35 yards further to kill an enemy rifleman and returned to lead his squad in the destruction of the 8 remaining Germans in the strong point. His audacity so inspired the remainder of the assault company that the men charged out of their positions, shouting and yelling, to overpower the enemy roadblock and sweep into town, knocking out 2 antitank guns, killing 37 Germans and capturing 26 others. He had sparked and led the assault company in an attack which overwhelmed the enemy, destroying a roadblock, taking a town, seizing intact 3 bridges over the Maravenne River, and capturing commanding terrain which dominated the area.

Bender Bridge

On November 9, 1954, a

West Virginia Turnpike West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

bridge was dedicated to Bender. It was renamed the Bender Bridge, also known as the Stanley Bender Memorial Bridge. The Bender Bridge was topped with a plaque telling of Bender's heroism during the War. However, the Bender Bridge was demolished by explosives in the 1980s as part of the Memorial Tunnel replacement project, which used an earthen fill to cross Fourmile Fork. Bender said that the bridge might have been demolished, but he would remember it. He also said that memories cannot be destroyed.

References

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WV Culture
Retrieved on 2009-06-24
Third Infantry Division Medal of Honor Recipients (with photo)
Retrieved on 2015-07-23 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bender, Stanley 1909 births 1994 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from Fayette County, West Virginia United States Army soldiers Military personnel from West Virginia World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor