Hero of the Week 101

 Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

Harold Garman

Harold Garman was born on February 26, 1918, in Fairfield, Illinois. In April 1942, he enlisted in the American Army as a medic in the 5th Infantry Division. In August of 1944, he found himself standing on the bank of the Seine River near Montereau, France. Little did he know, that he was about to face fierce combat.

On August 25, small boat was being used to ferry wounded American soldiers across the Seine. All of a sudden, a hidden German machine gun opened fire on the Americans by the river. The wounded men on the boat quickly scattered into the water to avoid the enemy fire. Most of them were able to swim to opposite shore. However, three of the wounded soldiers were unable to swim due to the severity of their wounds. Realizing that they would most certainly be killed if they remained on the river, Private Garman decided to do something that seemed utterly suicidal.

Garman dove into the Seine River and swam out to the drifting boat. Once he reached it, Garman grabbed a rope and began pulling the boat across the Seine. With the three wounded soldiers still clinging to it, Garman towed the boat through a hail of enemy bullets. Despite being shot at numerous times, he was able to successfully rescue all three of the wounded without receiving any wounds himself. Garman's brave act of valor also inspired the rest of his comrades to get into other boats and row across the Seine and attack the enemy machine gun. Within just a couple minutes, the gun was knocked out.

For his extraordinary heroism in diving into a river, swimming through a hail of gunfire, and rescuing three severely wounded comrades, Private Harold Garman was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. After the war, he received an honorable discharge and returned to Illinois in 1946. He lived a quiet life with his family until his death on August 13, 1992. 

During the entirety of World War II, approximately 464 American servicemen received the Congressional Medal of Honor for courage and valor above and beyond the call of duty. As of April 2021, only one is still living. As the world's largest conflict continues to become a distant memory it becomes more imperative to tell the stories of those who served. Stories of great men like Harold Garman are ones that definitely must be told and will always hold great value.

https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Features/story/Article/1962524/medal-of-honor-monday-army-tech-5th-grade-harold-a-garman/

https://www.ammoland.com/2019/10/medal-of-honor-monday-army-tech-5th-grade-harold-a-garman/#axzz6s2OOrx7s

https://www.sofmag.com/army-tech-harold-garman-swam-into-enemy-machine-gun-fire-in-the-seine-wwii-moh/