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Ray E. Eubanks (February 6, 1922 – July 23, 1944) was a
Service Profile
/ref> and by July 23, 1944, was serving as a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
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
Eubanks joined the Army fromLa Grange, North Carolina
La Grange is a town in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,873 based on the 2010 census. La Grange is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region.
Geography
La Grange is located at (35.308583, -77.792118).
Ac ...
in 1942,/ref> and by July 23, 1944, was serving as a
Sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
in Company D, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment. On that day, on the island of Noemfoor in Dutch New Guinea
Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea ( nl, Nederlands-Nieuw-Guinea, id, Nugini Belanda) was the western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas territory of the Kingdo ...
, Sgt. Eubanks single-handedly assaulted an enemy position with a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). Although he was wounded and his BAR disabled during his approach, he nevertheless charged the position, using his gun as a club
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises
...
to kill several Japanese soldiers until he was himself killed. For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor eight months later, on March 29, 1945.
Eubanks, aged 22 at his death, was buried in Westview Cemetery, Kinston, North Carolina
Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 21,677 as of the 2010 census. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791. Kinston is located in the coastal plains region of e ...
.
Medal of Honor citation
Sergeant Eubanks' official Medal of Honor citation reads:
See also
*List of Medal of Honor recipients
The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recipient must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their ...
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
This is a list of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II. The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recip ...
References
: * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eubanks, Ray E. 1922 births 1944 deaths People from Snow Hill, North Carolina Military personnel from North Carolina United States Army personnel killed in World War II United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from La Grange, North Carolina United States Army soldiers World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor