A U.S. soldier who died 42 years ago will receive the Medal of Honor next month. He is credited with saving the lives of several of his comrades during the Vietnam War, according to the Defense Department.
President Barack Obama will honor Leslie Sabo of Pennsylvania on May 16 at the White House for attempting to protect fellow soldiers from a North Vietnamese ambush in Cambodia.
Sabo, who was 22 at the time, is credited with shielding a soldier from a grenade blast and “assaulted an enemy flanking force, successfully drawing their fire away from friendly soldiers, and ultimately forcing the enemy to retreat,” the White House said in a statement.
He was severely wounded by automatic weapons fire and the grenade blast, but “his indomitable courage and complete disregard for his own safety saved the lives of many of his platoon members,” the statement reads.
