Medal of Honor Monday: Army 1st Lt. Victor Leonard Kandle

Oct. 26, 2026 | By David Vergun, Pentagon News |

Army 1st Lt. Victor Leonard Kandle was an infantryman during World War II whose bravery, leadership and complete disregard for his own personal safety led to him posthumously receiving the Medal of Honor in 1945.

Kandle was born June 13, 1921, in Roy, Washington. His father, Clyde, was an electrician at a sawmill, and his mother was Ilma May Swanson. Kandle was the middle child between older brother Gene and younger sister Shirley. 

In 1939, Kandle graduated from Puyallup High School in Puyallup, Washington, and shortly thereafter, the family moved to Redwood City, California. In September 1940, he enlisted in the Army, completed basic training at Fort Lewis, Washington, and was assigned to the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. In January 1942, he married Marigene Lee, and their son Terry was born two years later. 

In spring 1942, his regiment moved to Fort Ord, California, for coastal defense duty and amphibious landing training, and on Oct. 24, 1942, it shipped out to Fedala in French Morocco for Operation Torch, landing there Nov. 8, 1942. It would be the first of Kandle's many combat experiences, as the landings were met with resistance from Vichy French forces.

On July 10, 1943, the regiment landed in Sicily as part of Operation Husky, and in September, it invaded the Italian mainland after landing at Salerno and pushing north. During subsequent fighting, then-Army Staff Sgt. Kandle distinguished himself with his leadership and received a battlefield commission to second lieutenant in December 1943. He was again promoted after continuing to show bravery and strong leadership, earning the silver bars of first lieutenant the following May. 

On Aug. 15, 1944, the regiment landed on the beaches of the French Riviera, as part of Operation Dragoon, and the soldiers fought their way through the Vosges Mountains in northeastern France.

At around noon Oct. 9, 1944, Kandle had already captured five enemy prisoners and was serving as a platoon leader leading a 16-man reconnaissance patrol into enemy territory over mountainous terrain near La Forge, France. 

He engaged in a duel at point-blank range with a German officer, killing him.

His Medal of Honor citation states that the battalion had been held up for two days by heavy enemy resistance. To break the stalemate, Kandle rushed forward several yards ahead of his assault elements and fought valiantly to force the Germans to surrender.  

Harassed by machine-gun fire from a position which he had bypassed in the dense fog, Kandle moved to within 15 yards of the enemy, killed a German machine gunner and led his men in the destruction of another machine-gun crew and its rifle security elements.  

Finally, he led his small force against a fortified house held by two German officers and 30 enlisted men. After establishing a base of fire, Kandle again rushed forward alone through an open clearing in full view of the enemy, smashed through a barricaded door, and forced all 32 Germans to surrender.  

His intrepidity and bold leadership resulted in the capture or killing of three enemy officers and 54 enlisted men, the destruction of three enemy strongpoints and the seizure of enemy positions, which had halted the battalion's attack. 

In the weeks that followed, the 3rd Infantry Division continued to face heavy enemy resistance in the mountainous terrain and the December subzero temperatures. While fighting in the Colmar Pocket of the Alsace region of France, Kandle was killed Dec. 31, 1944, while leading his platoon against a German attack.

Kandle is buried in Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Epinal, France, where thousands of his comrades are also buried. 

Army Maj. Gen. Henry C. Pratt, commander of then-Western Defense Command, presented the Medal of Honor to Marigene Kandle during a ceremony at Presidio of San Francisco, May 11, 1945. 

Kandle Pool in Tacoma, Washington, is named for him, and in 2019, Puyallup High School dedicated a memorial to the 1939 graduate; his son Terry Kandle and grandson Victor attended the ceremony. 

The Army Reserve Center in Tacoma, Washington, was named for him, and after its closure, Terry Kandle retrieved the 60-pound bronze plaque and worked with his father's hometown to find it a new home. In 2024, the lobby of Puyallup City Hall was dedicated to Kandle. 

Medal of Honor Monday: Army Capt. Daniel W. Lee Sr.

Sept. 14, 2026 | By David Vergun, Pentagon News |

Army Capt. Daniel W. Lee Sr. was a platoon leader during World War II. He earned the Medal of Honor for valorous action in southeast France in 1944, during Operation Dragoon. 

Lee was born June 23, 1919, in Alma, Georgia. His parents, Daniel M. Lee and Ida Hyres, were farmers. Lee and his six siblings grew up working on the family farm.

After graduating from Alma High School in 1937, Lee attended the University of Georgia, paying his way by working odd jobs; he worked for a professor, typed papers for fellow students and surveyed crops. He graduated in 1941 with a bachelor's degree in agriculture and began his career in soil management. 

In December 1942, Lee married Sallie Davis, and they had three children after his service ended in World War II: Daniel W. Lee Jr., James and Elizabeth. 

Shortly after being denied entry into the Air Force because he was colorblind, Lee was drafted into the Army in March 1942. He was commissioned a second lieutenant later that year, and his unit, the 117th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, shipped to England for training. They arrived in northern Algeria in 1943, but by then, the enemy had already surrendered. His unit then engaged in combat during the Italian Campaign, from May to August 1944. 

On Sept. 2, 1944, Lee was the leader of Headquarters Platoon, Troop A, 117th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Army in Montrevel, France, when his Medal of Honor valor occurred. 

According to the medal citation, the Germans had mounted an hourslong attack against the outnumbered Americans when Lee organized a patrol to knock out their mortars.  

He led his men to the edge of town, neutralizing enemy riflemen on a ridge. Atop the ridge, he observed seven Germans manning two large mortars near an armored half-track about 100 yards down the slope.  

Armed with a rifle and grenades, Lee left his men on the high ground and crawled to within 30 yards of the mortars, where the enemy discovered him and unleashed machine-gun fire — shattering his right thigh.

"Scorning retreat, bleeding and suffering intense pain, he dragged himself relentlessly forward," the citation reads. 

Lee killed five Germans with rifle fire, and the others fled before he reached their position. While being fired on by an armored car, he took cover behind the German military vehicle and used a discarded German antitank weapon to neutralize the threat.  

"Despite his wounds, he inched his way toward the car through withering machine-gun fire, maneuvered into range and blasted the vehicle with a round from the rocket launcher, forcing it to withdraw," the citation reads.  

Lee struggled back to his men, where he collapsed from pain and loss of blood.  

During a 2022 interview, Lee's daughter provided further details. Outnumbered, Lee's platoon surrendered, and the Germans took many of the American soldiers but left Lee because of his injuries. 

"Dad told my brother that a German soldier made the decision to leave him there rather than kill him or take him, as he would not have made it. Dad was forever grateful," Beth Lee von Mersveldt said. 

Lee was promoted to first lieutenant, and despite his severe wounds, chose to remain in the military. He transitioned to the Army Reserve, then known as the Organized Reserve Corps. 

President Harry S. Truman presented the Medal of Honor to Lee in a White House ceremony, Jan. 23, 1946. During the ceremony, Truman reportedly told Lee and three others receiving the same award, "I would rather have that medal — the Congressional Medal of Honor — than to be president of the United States." 

After his recovery, Lee worked for the Veterans Administration in Valdosta, Georgia, assisting returning veterans with accessing healthcare, education and other benefits. 

He was recalled to service at the start of the Korean War in June 1950. He was promoted to captain and served as a combat training officer at Fort Knox, Kentucky, until 1952. Lee returned to civilian life, rising to the position of senior vice president of the Southwest Region of Military Service Company, the oldest division of EBSCO Industries. 

Lee died Jan. 22, 1985, at the age of 65, and is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Alma. His wife, Sallie, eventually remarried; she died Oct. 1, 2016. 

In April 1996, a bridge near his hometown was dedicated as the Daniel Warnell Lee Memorial Bridge. 

World War II Veterans Honored for Their Part in Operation Dragoon

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2012 – A group of World War II veterans received recognized yesterday in a ceremony held here for their gallantry during a 1944 combat operation in southern France.

Operation Dragoon lasted from Aug. 15 until Sept. 14, 1944. It was the second largest amphibious invasion of World War II, with over 1,000 ships delivering three divisions of troops to the beaches of France. Additionally, an airborne division parachuted into the country to help secure beach heads along with Greek, Polish and Dutch forces, according to retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Timothy Stoy, historian for the Society of the 3rd Infantry Division.

The Society of the 3rd Infantry Division hosted the ceremony honoring veterans who fought during the operation. French Army Col. Brice Houdet, military attaché from the French Embassy, presented the French Legion of Honor during the ceremony to retired U.S. soldiers John Singlaub, Paul Donlon, Darryl Egner, Elias Hernandez, Michael Halik and the son of Stanley Siemrzuch.

Before presenting the French awards, Houdet thanked the group of veterans on behalf of the people of France.

“I would like to salute all of the American allied veterans who took part in that momentous operation 68 years ago,” he said. “We are deeply honored to have some of you with us today.”

“I will have the distinct honor to present six of these highly deserving former service members with the Legion of Honor, France’s highest national honor and distinction, for their outstanding services during World War II,” Houdet said.

The six award recipients were all accompanied by members of the Military District of Washington’s Sgt. Audie L. Murphy Club, representing the connection to Murphy and the 3rd Infantry Division in which he served.

During the ceremony, U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Edd Watson, currently the command sergeant major of the 3rd Infantry Division, narrated a Missing in Action presentation, and explained the items on a table displayed to honor fallen soldiers.

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Randy E. Manner, Joint Staff director for the chief of the National Guard Bureau, said Operation Dragoon may not be as well known as some other World War II operations, but it should be remembered for its strategic importance.

“Sometimes, the voice of history does not speak as loudly about some events such as Operation Dragoon,” Manner said.

“So that’s our job today … to be that voice and to speak loudly about those great successes all those many years ago,” he said. “Those gathered here … know the strategic value of Operation Dragoon.”

Manner, whose father served under Singlaub, a retired Army major general, noted Operation Dragoon was critical because it opened a much-needed supply line into France for the allies to “continue to smash the Nazis.”

“History records that over 90,000 soldiers and over 11,000 vehicles were on the beach, on the ground, within days,” he said. “The bottom line is the operation significantly contributed to the shortening of the war in Europe, which meant, of course, the shortening and the lessening of the number of lives that were lost and the number of the families that were affected.”

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Thomas S. Vandal, director of operations, readiness and mobilization for the Department of the Army, thanked all of the veterans present for their sacrifice and “tremendous” service to the country.

“Although not as well known as Operation Overlord, Operation Dragoon was a highlight of the second World War for many in our military,” he said. “[It was] one of the most successful combined joint operations in the European theater.

“Today, we take fighting as a joint team, alongside our sister services, for granted, just as we’ve come to count on our multi-national allies to be there in operations around the world today,” Vandal said. “But on Aug. 15, 1944, in the early days of the liberation of Europe, such a level of cooperation was far from commonplace.”

Vandal called the allied forces a “vanguard” of history who forged a path “for all of us to follow.”

“Some historians have mistakenly called Operation Dragoon the ‘forgotten D-Day,’ particularly in comparison to the larger and more famous invasions of Normandy,” he said. “In fact, some have even gone so far as to imply that the operation was easy – merely a cakewalk.

“Sgt. Audie Murphy, from the 3rd Infantry Division, might disagree with this characterization,” Vandal said. “Given that he earned a Distinguished Service Cross during Operation Dragoon, I think it speaks for itself [and what troops] did.”

Vandal noted allied forces of Operation Dragoon advanced more than 500 miles in less than a month and took more than 100,000 Germans prisoner.

“Overlooked by history or not, Operation Dragoon was a pivotal moment in the history of France, a fact well understood by all of you veterans sitting here today,” he said.

Vandal, a former member of 3rd Infantry Division himself, expressed his appreciate for all World War II veterans.

“All of our veterans are a national treasure, and we are all fortunate to be in their presence,” he said. “They have left a legacy for our Army and our nation to follow.”