*SALOMON, BEN LOUIS
Rank and organization:
Captain, U.S.
Army, 2d Battalion, 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. Place and date:
Saipan, Marianas Islands, 7 July 1944. Entered service at:
Milwaukee, WI. Birth: Milwaukee, WI.
Citation:
Captain Ben L. Salomon was serving at Saipan, in the
Marianas Islands on July 7, 1944, as the Surgeon for the 2d Battalion,
105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. The Regiment's 1st and 2d
Battalions were attacked by an overwhelming force estimated between 3,000
and 5,000 Japanese soldiers. It was one of the largest attacks attempted
in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Although both units fought
furiously, the enemy soon penetrated the Battalions' combined perimeter
and inflicted overwhelming casualties. In the first minutes of the attack,
approximately 30 wounded soldiers walked, crawled or were carried into
Captain Salomon's aid station, and the small tent soon filled with wounded
men. As the perimeter began to be overrun, it became increasingly
difficult for Captain Salomon to work on the wounded. He then saw a
Japanese soldier bayoneting one of the wounded soldiers lying near the
tent. Firing from a squatting position, Captain Salomon quickly killed the
enemy soldier. Then, as he turned his attention back to the wounded, two
more Japanese soldiers appeared in the front entrance of the tent. As
these enemy soldiers were killed, four more crawled under the tent walls.
Rushing them, Captain Salomon kicked the knife out of the hand of one,
shot another and bayoneted a third. Captain Salomon butted the fourth
enemy soldier in the stomach and a wounded comrade then shot and killed
the enemy soldier. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Captain Salomon
ordered the wounded to make their way as best they could back to the
regimental aid station, while he attempted to hold off the enemy until
they were clear. Captain Salomon then grabbed a rifle from one of the
wounded and rushed out of the tent. After four men were killed while
manning a machine gun, Captain Salomon took control of it. When his body
was later found, 98 dead enemy soldiers were piled in front of his
position. Captain Salomon's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are
in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect
great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
