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dismounted positions. He went on lone reconnaissance missions to discover what opposition his men faced, and on 1 occasion, when fired upon by a hostile machinegun, advanced alone and eliminated the enemy emplacement with a hand grenade. When a strong German attack threatened to overrun friendly positions, he moved through withering artillery, mortar, and small arms fire, reorganized confused infantry units whose leaders had become casualties, and exhorted them to hold firm. Although wounded early in battle, he continued to direct fire from his advanced position until he was disabled by a high-explosive shell which shattered his arm, forcing him to withdraw. He was last seen at a medical aid station which was subsequently captured by the enemy. By his superb courage, inspiring leadership, and indomitable fighting spirit, 1st Lt. Leonard enabled our forces to hold off the enemy attack and was personally responsible for the direction of fire which destroyed 6 German tanks.
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incapacitated, Leonard assumed command. Already seriously wounded in the arm on the first day, he refused medical evacuation to remain with his troops. On 6 November, a mortar round severed the remainder of his arm, and forced him to report to the aid station. Leonard was left behind with the other seriously wounded in the hopes that the
Germans, who were about to overrun the American positions, would provide medical care, but he ordered the medic to place him in a concealed foxhole with a weapon, explaining that he did not want to be taken prisoner. His remains were found after the War in a field grave dug by the Germans. On 1 September 1945, Leonard posthumously received the
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He displayed extraordinary heroism while commanding a platoon of mobile weapons at
Kommerscheidt, Germany, on 4, 5, and 6 November 1944. During the fierce 3-day engagement, he repeatedly braved overwhelming enemy fire in advance of his platoon to direct the fire of his tank destroyer from exposed,
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Between 4–6 November 1944, Leonard's company was heavily engaged in the fighting in and around the village of
Kommerscheidt, west of Schmidt. Throughout the three days, he repeatedly exposed himself to hostile fire. When all officers of the infantry unit his platoon was supporting became
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at Texas A&M, Leonard was serving as a first lieutenant and platoon leader in
Company C, 893rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, which was attached in October 1944 to support the
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Drawing of Turney White
Leonard and a specimen Medal of Honor on display at Texas A&M University
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officer who received the U.S. military's highest award, the
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366:""Aggie Ring Returns Home After More Than 50 Years"
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United States Army personnel killed in World War II
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306:""Medal of Honor recipients - World War II (G–L)""
268:List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
483:World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor
310:United States Army Center of Military History
290:United States Army Center of Military History
219:in agriculture. Commissioned in 1942 via the
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478:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
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187:(June 18, 1921 – November 6, 1944) was a
398:Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients
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335:""Corps Hall of Honor To Induct Seven"
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239:area along the German-Belgian border.
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349:Texas State Historical Association
288:from websites or documents of the
231:during that unit's assault on the
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284: This article incorporates
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463:Texas A&M University alumni
458:Military personnel from Dallas
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468:United States Army officers
378:""Memorial Student Center"
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380:Texas A&M University
368:Texas A&M University
337:Texas A&M University
213:Texas A&M University
167:Battle of Hürtgen Forest
152:Tank Destroyer Battalion
251:Medal of Honor citation
225:112th Infantry Regiment
286:public domain material
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229:28th Infantry Division
67:Kommerscheidt, Germany
347:""Turney W. Leonard"
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195:, for his actions in
129:Years of service
185:Turney White Leonard
20:Turney White Leonard
394:"Turney W. Leonard"
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189:United States Army
123:United States Army
217:bachelor's degree
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402:Find a Grave
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235:through the
221:ROTC program
207:A native of
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197:World War II
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162:World War II
158:Battles/wars
63:(1944-11-06)
453:1944 deaths
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132:1942 - 1944
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442:Categories
356:October 5,
315:October 5,
274:References
109:Allegiance
84:96°26′02″W
81:32°28′34″N
44:1921-06-18
432:Biography
203:Biography
262:See also
117:Service/
227:of the
418:Portal
173:Awards
150:893rd
119:branch
72:Buried
409:2010
358:2010
317:2010
147:Unit
137:Rank
58:Died
53:, US
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
