Heroes: An Overdue Honor

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The New Guinea jungle, 1942: waves of Japanese soldiers are assaulting a U.S. position. For 21 hours straight, Army Sergeant David Rubitsky blasts away at the attackers with a .30-cal. machine gun, a .45-cal. pistol, a rifle and grenades. The smoke clears. Single-handed, Rubitsky, 25, has killed or wounded 500 to 600 of the enemy. After examining the scene, company commander J.M. Stehling recommends Rubitsky for the Congressional Medal of Honor. Stehling's commander, Lieut. Colonel Herbert Smith, approves and relays the word to his superior, Colonel John W. Mott. "You mean a Jew for the Congressional Medal of Honor?" Mott replies. According to Smith's later affidavit, Mott "just laughed and walked away."

Rubitsky, now 72 and living in Milton, Wis., never complained. But his friends did, and so did the Anti-Defamation League and a group of Viet Nam veterans. In 1987 the Pentagon began looking into the case. Several months ago, an Army buddy gave Rubitsky the evidence he needed: a message that Rubitsky's friend had found on the body of a Japanese officer who died later in New Guinea. The note referred to "600 fine Japanese soldiers ((who)) died because of a solitary American soldier." Today Rubitsky says he is not as interested in the medal as in justice. He may yet get both.