Courtesy of AUSA, used with permission
Comic book shows heroic actions of man who survived the Holocaust, joined the US Army and earned the Medal of Honor
Jack Murphy
Long time comic book writer Chuck Dixon returns with another installment of the "Medal of Honor" series produced by the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), telling the story of Tibor Rubin.
Rubin was a Hungarian Holocaust survivor liberated by American soldiers at the conclusion of the war. He then immigrated to the United States and enlisted in the Army. He saw action during the Korean War, with acts of valor during brutal combat with North Korean and Chinese communist forces. Several times he remained on a hilltop to provide a rearguard action for his teammates to retreat as their positions were overwhelmed by the enemy's vast numbers. Rubin held them off with his rifle, hand grenades and a machine gun, allowing his unit to safely withdraw.
During one such action, Rubin was severely injured and taken prisoner by the Chinese and put into a prisoners of war camp. Despite being offered the opportunity to return to (then-communist) Hungary, he elected to remain with his fellow soldiers and helped them defy their captors. He helped the other prisoners survive until they were released during a prisoner exchange at the end of the war.
Although his officers wanted him to be recommended for the Medal of Honor, many who served with him said than an anti-semitic sergeant stymied those efforts. After his case was reviewed, President George W. Bush awarded Rubin the Medal of Honor in 2005.
After the war, Rubin worked in his brother's liquor store and volunteered thousands of hours at a local VA hospital, which is now named after him.
The Tibor Rubin Medal of Honor comic can be viewed for free at www.ausa.org/rubin
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Reach Jack Murphy: jack@connectingvets.com or @JackMurphyRGR.