Melvin Oscar Handrich
Medal of Honor recipient Melvin Handrich
Born(1919-01-26)January 26, 1919
Manawa, Wisconsin
DiedAugust 26, 1950(1950-08-26) (aged 31)
near Sŏbuk-san, Pusan Perimeter, South Korea
Place of burial
Little Wolf Cemetery in Manawa, Wisconsin
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1942–45; 1949–50
Rank Master Sergeant
Service number36258213
Unit
1-2 First Special Service Force
Co. I, 508th PIR, 82d Abn Div
Co. C, 5th Infantry
Battles/warsWorld War II

Korean War

Awards CIB (2)
Parachutist Badge
Medal of Honor
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart (4)
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
EAME Campaign
WW2 Victory Medal
NDSM
Korean Service Medal
UN Korea Medal

Melvin O. Handrich (January 26, 1919 – August 26, 1950) was a soldier in the U.S. Army during both World War II and the Korean War. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions on August 25 and 26, 1950, during the Battle of Battle Mountain, part of the Battle of Pusan Perimeter. He is buried at Little Wolf Cemetery in Manawa, 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 (FSSF) ("The Devil's Brigade")[1][2] and later Company I, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division.[3] He participated in the recapture of Kiska (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 with two oak leaf clusters. Other World War II awards included the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Bronze Star Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one bronze campaign star, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with arrowhead device and one silver and one bronze campaign star.[4][5] 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.[6]

On August 4, 1969, the 83d Ordnance Battalion compound at Anyang-ni was named Camp Handrich in his honor.[7]

Medal of Honor Citation

Department of the Army, General Orders No. 60, August 2, 1951
Action Date: August 25 & 26, 1950
Service: Army
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.[8]

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.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Robert D. Burhans, The First Special Service Force: A War History of the North Americans, 1942–1944 (Nashville: Battery Press, 1981), Appendix III: Personnel Roster of Former Members of the First Special Service Force, Roster of Enlisted Men, at 345 (http://www.firstspecialserviceforce.net/fssf-roster-of-men1.html).
  2. ↑ Roger Pitt, "Hero's Valor," Appleton Post-Crescent, Sunday, May 25, 2003, pp. 1, 8. ("Alfred Handrich [b. 1935] said his brother was a paratrooper with a group made up of Canadian and American soldiers.")
  3. ↑ Family and Friends of the 508th PIR Association, "Company I—Camp Mackall, 1943" (https://www.508pir.org/co_pix/co_i/co-i-h.htm).
  4. ↑ Roger Pitt, "Hero's Valor," Appleton Post-Crescent, Sunday, May 25, 2003, pp. 1, 8. ("He saw action in many of World War II's bloodiest and best-known battles and campaigns: Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Ardennes and Rhineland.")
  5. ↑ "Life and Death of Melvin Handrich," Green Bay Press-Gazette, Thursday, June 21, 1951, p. 10 (http://www.508pir.org/taps/graves/h/handrich_mo.htm).
  6. ↑ "Badger, Killed in Korea, Gets Medal of Honor," Capital Times, Madison, Wisconsin, Monday, June 6, 1951; "Award Medal of Honor to Wisconsin Sergeant," Sheboygan Press, Monday, June 18, 1951; "Wisconsin Soldier Awarded Nation's Medal of Honor for Heroic Death," Wisconsin State Journal, Monday, June 18, 1951.
  7. ↑ Memorandum, HQ, Eighth Army, Semi-Annual Chronology (July–December 1969).
  8. ↑ "Award of the Medal of Honor to Master Sergeant Melvin O. Handrich" (PDF). Army General Orders. Army Publishing Directorate (APD). July 7, 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  9. ↑ 25th Infantry Division Association, 25th Infantry Division Medal of Honor Recipients.
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