THE HEROIC STORY OF LEONARD ALFRED FUNK JR. OF BRADDOCK TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA, ONE OF THE MOST DECORATED SOLDIERS AND PARATROOPERS..

 Leonard Alfred Funk Jr. of Braddock Township, Pennsylvania, one of the most decorated soldiers and paratroopers of WWII ,

was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary actions on January 29, 1945, near Holzheim, Belgium.

Funk joined the Army in June 1941 and in 1942, volunteered for the paratroopers, part of the U.S. Army’s newly created airborne forces. He jumped into Normandy with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment on D-Day, June 6, 1944, later taking part in Operation Market Garden in September and later in the Battle of the Bulge in December.

On January 29, 1945, he was serving as the first sergeant of his company in Holzheim, Belgium when he encountered a group of more than 80 German soldiers, most of whom had previously been captured by American forces but, with the help of a German patrol, had managed to overwhelm their guards. 

Funk opened fire and called for the captured American guards to seize the German weapons. He and the guards successfully killed or re-captured all of the German soldiers.

He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on January 29, 1945. Funk was honorably discharged from the Army in June 1945 and worked for the Veteran’s Administration after the war until his retirement in 1972. He died at age 76 in 1992 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Related Article 

Eric Gunnar Gibson of Nysund, Sweden, a Technician Fifth Grade in the U.S. Army, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on January 28, 1944, near Isola Bella, Italy.

Born in Sweden, Gibson immigrated to the United States and joined the Army in February 1941. On January 28, 1944, he was a technician fifth grade serving as a cook in the 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.

 On January 28, 1944, in Cisterna di Latina area near Isolabella, Italy, he was placed in command of a squad during an advance down a streambed. Gibson led his men from the front, repeatedly advancing ahead and attacking German positions alone. He was killed while charging a fourth German position.

For his actions on January 28, 1944, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He is buried in Nora Cemetery, Rice Lake, Wisconsin.

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