Elwood City, PA
U.S. Army, Vietnam
Some men have been awarded the Medal of Honor for using their bodies to shield others from a hand grenade; others for charging an enemy bunker; or for drawing fire upon themselves away from others; or for sprinting across an open field to save a comrade. According to Sgt. Leslie Sabo’s Medal of Honor citation, he did not just one of those actions, but all of them:
“[On May 10, 1970] Specialist Four Sabo and his platoon were conducting a reconnaissance patrol when they were ambushed from all sides by a large enemy force. Without hesitation, Specialist Four Sabo charged an enemy position, killing several enemy soldiers. Immediately thereafter, he assaulted an enemy flanking force, successfully drawing their fire away from friendly soldiers and ultimately forcing the enemy to retreat. In order to re-supply ammunition, he sprinted across an open field to a wounded comrade. As he began to reload, an enemy grenade landed nearby. Specialist Four Sabo picked it up, threw it, and shielded his comrade with his own body, thus absorbing the brunt of the blast and saving his comrade’s life. Seriously wounded by the blast, Specialist Four Sabo nonetheless retained the initiative and then single-handedly charged an enemy bunker that had inflicted severe damage on the platoon, receiving several serious wounds from automatic weapons fire in the process. Now mortally injured, he crawled towards the enemy emplacement and, when in position, threw a grenade into the bunker. The resulting explosion silenced the enemy fire, but also ended Specialist Four Sabo’s life. His indomitable courage and complete disregard for his own safety saved the lives of many of his platoon members. . . .”
The acknowledgement of his heroism was a long time coming. His Medal of Honor was presented to his widow, Rose Mary Sabo Brown, May 11, 2012. That brought overdue recognition not only to himself, but also to those who fought and died with him. Leslie’s older brother, George, honored the seven other men who died that day: Larry DeBoer, James DeBrew, Fred Harms, Tom Merriman, Ernie Moore, Don Smith and Leslie Wilbanks. “These men, along with my brother, gave the ultimate sacrifice that day,” George said. “And we will remember them in our hearts. For their families here today, I want you to know that the Sabo family considers them all heroes and this Medal of Honor is for them also.”
