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Sherry Dworsky
Keep it going,
Arthur I love seeing the pictures and hearing about Trenton
Benjamin Kaufman
Date of birth: March
10, 1894
Date of death: February 05, 1981
Burial location: Trenton, New Jersey
Place of Birth: New York, Buffalo
AWARDS AND CITATIONS
Medal of Honor
CITATION
He took out a patrol
for the purpose of attacking an enemy machine gun which had checked the advance
of the company. Before reaching the gun, he became separated from the patrol
and a machine gun bullet shattered his right arm. Without hesitation, he advanced
on the gun alone, throwing grenades with his left hand and charging with an
empty pistol, taking one prisoner and scattering the crew, bringing the gun and
prisoner back to the first-aid station.
Sergeant Benjamin
Kaufman was an unassuming young man who grew up in Brooklyn, rooted for the
Dodgers and found himself going to Syracuse University when the United States
became a participant in World War I in 1917.
Kaufman responded to
the call to arms and joined the Army, where he was assigned to Company K, 308th
Infantry. He excelled in camp sports and the company respected him as being a
tough soldier and a good sport. He quickly rose to the rank of sergeant and he
twice refused the honor of becoming an officer.
Kaufman proved to be a
hero almost as soon as he was in combat in France. He became blinded by a gas
shell while aiding in the rescue of several of his men. Despite his refusal of
medical help, doctors forced him to go to the hospital. For fighting men like
Kaufman, the hospital was no place to be. He borrowed a uniform and made his
way back to his outfit. Kaufman was quickly faced with a court martial for
leaving the hospital. However, Army officers saw it Kaufman's way and dropped
the charges so that he could rejoin his outfit.
While serving in an
advance detail in the Argonne on October 4, 1918, Kaufman and his men came
under heavy fire from a German machine gun. Two of his men were wounded.
Kaufman realized that he had to silence the machine gun before help could reach
the wounded men.
Before he could use his
own weapon, Kaufman was struck in the arm by an enemy bullet. With his
shattered, bleeding right arm hanging limp at his side, Kaufman advanced on the
enemy, lobbing hand grenades with his left arm. He eventually reached the German
position and captured a surviving German soldier.
Kaufman returned to the
American lines with his prisoner. He fainted from the loss of blood after
revealing the position of the German lines, which made it possible for the
Americans to move forward.
Kaufman received awards
for bravery from nine foreign governments. The United States awarded him the
Congressional Medal of Honor. After the war, he became active in the Jewish War
Veterans of the United States of America, serving as national commander in 1941
- 1942. The Ben Kaufman Post 156 of the JWV in Trenton, New Jersey, is a living
memorial to a man who always had a smile on his face even when the going was
rough.
Source: Jewish
Recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor
General Orders: War Department, General
Orders No. 50 (April 12, 1919)
Action Date: 4-Oct-18
Service: Army
Rank: First Sergeant
Company: Company K
Regiment: 308th Infantry
Division: 77th Division
Source: Jewish Recipients of the
Congressional Medal of Honor.
Amen.
God Bless the many Jews of the Greatest
Generation who served in the military during WWII, including my own Dad, Major
Harold Doranz, USAMC. All of the men of our family served ranging in ranks from
Pfc to Rear Admiral. One of them, my first Cousin, TSgt Howard Rothman, USAAC,
was killed in action over the Pacific.
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