A lot has been written about Tibor Rubin so this is just a short summary, the army has done a great job with their citation (text below) and especially the narrative by Beth Reece. You can also hear the story in Tibor’s own words in this video.
The first thing you need to know is that the Medal of Honor is the highest award a soldier can receive, and that in order to get it you must be nominated by a peer, then it must be passed up the chain of command all the way to the President of the United States. The story is scrutinized and the awards are few (and often posthumous). Rubin was nominated multiple times for the award.
First, he was not only a survivor of the Holocaust (he was Hungarian), but as a prisoner he put his own life on the line to save others. He stole food, improvised medical care, and tried to convince people that they needed to remain hopeful to be liberated in order to see their families. Upon being freed by American troops he made a promise to himself that “if I ever make it to America, I’m going to become a GI Joe.” He had a debt to pay, and pay it he did.
He did join the army and because of an anti-Semitic officer, he was continually given more difficult, dangerous jobs. As you read his citation and the narrative you get the picture for what an exceptional life he led. So many times he faced danger, so many times he could have developed a negative attitude, but he didn’t waiver.
He singlehandedly held off a Korean advance while the rest of the American troops could retreat and regroup. When another had fallen and was presumed dead, Rubin was given orders to leave him behind but he low crawled through sniper fire for hundreds of yards and carried him back to safety- saved his life. At one point it was his job to guard the rear of their moving line against advancing enemy fire. The previous three gunners with that job had fallen but he picked up the machine gun anyway and slowed the enemy.
He was among hundreds of soldiers captured by the Chinese. They offered to let him go home to Hungary but Rubin stayed in prison and used his hard won knowledge (from his time in the concentration camp) to save American lives. He improvised medical care again, saving limbs from infection, and again put his life on the line stealing food, this time from his Chinese captors.
Rubin faced death repeatedly and not only did he survive, but he brought others through the fire with him. And he even looks back at his anti-Semitic officer and laughs because in giving Rubin so many difficult jobs, rather than killing him, the anti-Semitic officer made Rubin a hero.
Here is the Army Citation (but again, the narrative account and the video are great):
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:
Corporal Tibor Rubin distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism during the period from July 23, 1950, to April 20, 1953, while serving as a rifleman with Company I, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division in the Republic of Korea. While his unit was retreating to the Pusan Perimeter, Corporal Rubin was assigned to stay behind to keep open the vital Taegu-Pusan Road link used by his withdrawing unit. During the ensuing battle, overwhelming numbers of North Korean troops assaulted a hill defended solely by Corporal Rubin. He inflicted a staggering number of casualties on the attacking force during his personal 24-hour battle, single-handedly slowing the enemy advance and allowing the 8th Cavalry Regiment to complete its withdrawal successfully. Following the breakout from the Pusan Perimeter, the 8th Cavalry Regiment proceeded northward and advanced into North Korea. During the advance, he helped capture several hundred North Korean soldiers. On October 30, 1950, Chinese forces attacked his unit at Unsan, North Korea, during a massive nighttime assault. That night and throughout the next day, he manned a .30 caliber machine gun at the south end of the unit’s line after three previous gunners became casualties. He continued to man his machine gun until his ammunition was exhausted. His determined stand slowed the pace of the enemy advance in his sector, permitting the remnants of his unit to retreat southward. As the battle raged, Corporal Rubin was severely wounded and captured by the Chinese. Choosing to remain in the prison camp despite offers from the Chinese to return him to his native Hungary, Corporal Rubin disregarded his own personal safety and immediately began sneaking out of the camp at night in search of food for his comrades. Breaking into enemy food storehouses and gardens, he risked certain torture or death if caught. Corporal Rubin provided not only food to the starving Soldiers, but also desperately needed medical care and moral support for the sick and wounded of the POW camp. His brave, selfless efforts were directly attributed to saving the lives of as many as forty of his fellow prisoners. Corporal Rubin’s gallant actions in close contact with the enemy and unyielding courage and bravery while a prisoner of war are in the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.
https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/rubin/citation/index.html
