Melvin O. Handrich (January 26, 1919 – August 26, 1950) was a soldier in the U.S. Army during both

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 ...

and the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. He

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

received 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 on August 25 and 26, 1950, during the

Battle of Battle Mountain The Battle of Battle Mountain was an engagement between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces early in the Korean War from August 15 to September 19, 1950, on and around the Sobuk-san mountain area in South Korea. It was one of seve ...

, part of the

Battle of Pusan Perimeter The Battle of the Pusan Perimeter ( ko, 부산 교두보 전투) was a large-scale battle between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 to September 18, 1950. It was one of the first major engagements of the ...

. He is buried at Little Wolf Cemetery in

Manawa Manawa can refer to: *Manawa, Wisconsin, a city in Wisconsin * ''Manawa'' (crustacean): ''Manawa'' Hornibrook, 1949, a genus of ostracod *''Manawa'' Forster, 1970 an invalid genus of spider: now '' Mesudus'' Özdikmen, 2007 *''Manawa'' Bergquist & F ...

, Waupaca County, Wisconsin. Handrich first entered the Army in August 1942. He was a member of 1st Company, 2d Regiment (1-2),

First Special Service Force The 1st Special Service Force was an elite American–Canadian commando unit in World War II, under the command of the United States Fifth Army. The unit was organized in 1942 and trained at Fort William Henry Harrison near Helena, Montana i ...

(FSSF) ("The Devil's Brigade") and later Company I, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment,

82d Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops Magazine'', 25 November 2012. Archived from thorig ...

. He participated in the

recapture ''Recapture'' is a 1930 drama in three acts by Preston Sturges, his third play to appear on Broadway. The Broadway production was directed by Don Mullally and produced by A. H. Woods. It opened on January 29, 1930, at the Eltinge 42nd Street T ...

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(August 15, 1943), part of the Aleutian Islands Campaign, and saw action in Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany. Wounded three times, he received the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

with two

oak leaf cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

s. Other World War II awards included the

Combat Infantryman Badge The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military decoration. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of colonel and below, who fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of ei ...

, the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one bronze

campaign star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with

arrowhead device The Arrowhead device is a miniature bronze arrowhead that may be worn on campaign, expedition, and service medals and ribbons to denote participation in an amphibious assault landing, combat parachute jump, helicopter assault landing, or combat gl ...

and one silver and one bronze

. He was discharged from the Army in September 1945. He re-enlisted in January 1949 and was sent to the Far East command in March 1949. The Medal of Honor was presented to Handrich's father by General of the Army Omar N. Bradley at a Pentagon ceremony on June 21, 1951. On August 4, 1969, the 83d Ordnance Battalion compound at Anyang-ni was named Camp Handrich in his honor.

Medal of Honor Citation

:Department of the Army, General Orders No. 60, August 2, 1951 :Action Date: August 25 & 26, 1950 :Service:

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

:Rank: Master Sergeant :Company: Company C :Regiment: 5th Infantry Citation:

Master Sergeant ''Melvin O. Handrich'' (Service No. 36258213), Infantry, United States Army, a member of Company C, 5th Infantry, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action on 25 and 26 August 1950, near Sobuk San Mountain, Korea. His company was engaged in repulsing an estimated 150 enemy who were threatening to overrun its position. Near midnight on 25 August, a hostile group over 100 strong attempted to infiltrate the company perimeter. Sergeant ''Handrich'', despite the heavy enemy fire, voluntarily left the comparative safety of the defensive area and moved to a forward position where he could direct mortar and artillery fire upon the advancing enemy. He remained at this post for 8 hours directing fire against the enemy who often approached within 50 feet of his position. Again, on the morning of 26 August, another strong hostile force made an attempt to overrun the company's position. With complete disregard for his safety, Sergeant ''Handrich'' rose to his feet and from this exposed position fired his rifle and directed mortar and artillery fire on the attackers. At the peak of this action, he observed elements of his company preparing to withdraw. He perilously made his way across fire-swept terrain to the defense area where, by example and forceful leadership, he reorganized the men to continue the fight. During the action, Sergeant ''Handrich'' was severely wounded. Refusing to take cover or be evacuated, he returned to his forward position and continued to direct the company's fire. Later, a determined enemy attack overran Sergeant ''Handrich's'' position and he was mortally wounded. When the position was retaken, over 70 enemy dead were counted in the area he had so intrepidly defended. Sergeant ''Handrich's'' sustained personal bravery, consummate courage, and gallant self-sacrifice reflect untold glory upon himself and the heroic traditions of the military service.

The 25th Infantry Division Association states that the 5th Infantry Regimental Combat Team was attached to the 25th Infantry Division at the time of this action.25th Infantry Division Association
25th Infantry Division Medal of Honor Recipients.
/ref>

References

*
General Orders No. 60, Award of the Medal of Honor
*Roy E. Appleman

Chapter XX,

United States Army in the Korean War. CMH Pub 20-2-1. : {{DEFAULTSORT:Handrich, Melvin O. 1919 births 1950 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army non-commissioned officers People from Manawa, Wisconsin American military personnel killed in the Korean War Military personnel from Wisconsin Korean War recipients of the Medal of Honor United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War

Medal of Honor Citation

See also

References