Medal of Honor Monday: Army Tech. 5th Grade Eric Gibson

Jan. 26, 2026 | By Katie Lange, Pentagon News |

Army Tech. 5th Grade Eric Gibson served as a cook during World War II, but his desire for more led him to work out a deal with his superiors to fight on the front lines. During one intense battle in Italy, Gibson consistently went ahead of the soldiers he led and took out threats in their path. He didn't survive the ordeal, but his bravery and leadership earned him the Medal of Honor.

Gibson was born Oct. 3, 1919, in Nysund, Sweden, to Erland and Agda Gibson. In 1924, after his younger brother, Sven, was born, the family moved to Chicago, where Gibson grew up.

Few details of his early life have been published. Still, by February 1941, Gibson had enlisted in the Army as troop numbers soared ahead of America's inevitable involvement in World War II. After basic training, he was assigned as a cook for the 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.

In November 1942, the division deployed to North Africa, where Gibson, as part of Company I, took part in that invasion and the subsequent invasion of Sicily.

As the division plowed through enemy territory, Gibson decided he wanted to make a bigger impact than just being a cook. So, he worked out a deal with his commanding officer that allowed him to serve as a rifleman in an infantry squad whenever the company went into battle, according to the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum.

In the mountainous terrain of Sicily, where motorized Army vehicles weren't useful, Gibson is credited with leading a pack of mules carrying supplies across several miles of rugged landscape. Later, as the company's main scout, he located several enemy positions and even killed and wounded two German soldiers during ensuing firefights.

In mid-January 1944, the division landed on the Anzio beachhead in Italy. As Gibson's company moved up the coastline, he continued with his dual missions, repeatedly distinguishing himself in combat, according to the museum.

On Jan. 28, 1944, Gibson's company had made it all the way to northern Italy and was near the island of Isola Bella when they came under attack. Gibson quickly mobilized and led a squad of unseasoned soldiers — those sent to the front lines to fill vacancies left by casualties — through a "baptism by fire," his Medal of Honor citation stated. But their efforts bore fruit. They managed to destroy four enemy positions, kill five and capture two German soldiers, all while also securing their company's left flank.

Gibson then continued ahead of his fellow soldiers, moving through a wide stream ditch until he came within 20 yards of a concealed enemy soldier, who opened up on him with automatic fire. Several bullets nearly hit Gibson, but that didn't stop him. He charged, firing his submachine gun every few steps until he got to the enemy position and fired at point-blank range, killing his opponent.

As a smattering of artillery landed in and around the ditch, the impact from one knocked Gibson flat. As soon as he got to his feet, he was fired on by two enemy soldiers who were about 75 yards away. Gibson immediately raced toward them and didn't stop, even when machine gun fire opened up on him about halfway to the position. Gibson killed one foe and captured the other.

Shortly after that, during another spray of heavy machine gun fire coming from about 200 yards further down the ditch, Gibson crawled back to his squad and ordered them to direct as much fire as possible toward the enemy so he could flank that machine gun nest.

Getting to the emplacement required Gibson to crawl 125 yards through an intense artillery barrage that included crossfire from two machine guns, which showered dirt all over him. He made it, however, and once he reached the nest, he threw two hand grenades into it before charging forward with his submachine gun, killing two enemy soldiers and capturing a third.

When his squad got to a bend in the ditch, Gibson moved forward alone to scout out the situation. That's the last time his fellow soldiers saw him alive.

Gibson's squad later told officials that when they heard an exchange of gunfire, they moved around the bend. About 35 yards toward an enemy outpost, they found Gibson dead. However, before he fell, he managed to kill one more German soldier.

Gibson's fearless actions kept the men in his squad alive, even if it meant his own death. For that, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. His parents were gifted it on his behalf Sept. 15, 1944, during a ceremony at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin.

When Gibson's body was returned to the U.S. in 1948, he was buried in Nora Cemetery in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, where his parents had moved while he was overseas.

Gibson has not been forgotten. Over the years, an Army Reserve center in Berwyn, Illinois, and a dining facility on Fort Lee, Virginia, were named in his honor. In 1995, a Navy container ship was renamed for the fallen soldier, and in 1999, Gibson was inducted into the Quartermaster Hall of Fame. 

Medal of Honor Monday: Army Pfc. Dirk Vlug

Dec. 15, 2025 | By Katie Lange, Pentagon News |

During World War II, Army Pfc. Dirk John Cornelius Vlug singlehandedly went up against five enemy tanks during the liberation of the Philippines, and miraculously, he won. The modest Midwesterner's brazen actions allowed his company to further its goal, and they made him the recipient of the nation's highest honor for valor.

Vlug was born Aug. 20, 1916, in Maple Lake, Minnesota, to Dutch immigrants Isaac and Mina Vlug. He had four sisters and a brother.

When Vlug was 6, the family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, so his father could pursue better work opportunities. According to a 1987 Grand Rapids Press newspaper article, when the Great Depression hit, Vlug dropped out of high school and began working to help support the family.

By April 1941, Vlug was drafted into the Army as a cannoneer assigned to the 1st Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division. After the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the division was one of the first Army units sent to the Pacific theater in April 1942. The 32nd Infantry Division went on to spend more days in combat than any other division.

Vlug took part in several island-hopping campaigns across the Pacific. By autumn 1944, the 32nd Infantry had landed on Leyte Island in the Philippines as part of the campaign to liberate it from Japanese forces that had pushed the Allies out two years prior.

On Dec. 15, 1944, Vlug's Headquarters Company was defending an American roadblock near the village of Limon when they saw a group of enemy tanks moving toward them. Almost immediately, Vlug left the safety of his covered position and moved alone toward the tanks, despite the intense enemy machine gun and 37 mm fire directed his way. Armed with a rocket launcher and six rounds of ammunition, he took aim and fired, destroying the first tank and killing all its occupants with a single round.

As the crew of the second tank jumped off their vehicle to attack on foot, Vlug killed one of them with his pistol. The other attackers then ran back to their tank; however, once they were inside, Vlug proceeded to destroy it with a second rocket launcher round.

When three more enemy tanks moved up the road, Vlug flanked the first and took it out before pushing through a hail of enemy fire to destroy the second. He then used his last round of ammunition on the final tank, causing it to crash down a steep embankment.

Without any assistance, Vlug had destroyed five hostile tanks and killed numerous enemy soldiers. That heroism helped his company hold the blockade and later push forward toward liberation.

After being discharged from the Army in June 1945, Vlug returned to Grand Rapids and worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs for a short time before taking a job at a manufacturing plant where his brother also worked. He was on the job when he learned that he was to receive the Medal of Honor. It was an honor he remained modest about his whole life.

"I was no different than any other soldier. I saw a chance and took it," Vlug said of his actions during a Grand Rapids Press interview in 1980. "I guess, though, you have to be a keyed-up sort of guy to do what I did. You can't just sit back and let things happen."

On June 7, 1946, Vlug received the nation's highest honor for valor from President Harry S. Truman during a White House ceremony that also honored three other soldiers and one Marine.

Later that year, Vlug married Angie Sikkema, whom he'd initially been introduced to during the war via mail and later met in person after returning to the States, newspapers reported. The couple went on to have three daughters.

Vlug continued his military service by serving for two years in the National Guard, rising to the rank of master sergeant. He took a job as a mail carrier in 1950 and held that position for 26 years before retiring.

In his later years, Vlug enjoyed golfing, bowling and building birdhouses, and he remained active among veterans' groups. According to his family and friends, his life was characterized by humility, and he rarely talked about his exploits during the war.

In 1992, Vlug received Michigan's highest military honor, the Distinguished Service Medal. Two years later, the 78-year-old was one of two Medal of Honor recipients invited to attend the 50th commemoration of the liberation of the Philippines. Vlug and his wife made the trek to the island nation, his first time setting foot there since the war.   

Vlug died on June 25, 1996, at the age of 79. He is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Grand Rapids.

His home state has not forgotten his heroics. In 1999, a section of the Veterans Memorial Parkway in Grand Rapids was renamed Dirk Vlug Way. His Medal of Honor is also on permanent display at the Michigan Heroes Museum in Frankenmuth, Michigan.