Paul L . Bolden Paul Luther Bolden ( June 15 , 1922 – May 21 , 1979 ) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military ' s highest decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in World War II . Biography . Bolden joined the Army from Madison , Alabama in October 1942 , and by December 23 , 1944 , was serving as a Staff Sergeant in Company I , 120th Infantry Regiment , 30th Infantry Division . On that day , at Petit - Coo , Belgium , he and another soldier advanced on a German - held house . While his comrade provided covering fire from across the street , Bolden tossed grenades through a window , rushed to the door , and began firing . Wounded by the greatly superior number of German soldiers inside , he retreated from the house . Realizing that the Germans would not surrender , he returned to the house despite his serious wounds and killed the remaining soldiers . For these actions , he was awarded the Medal of Honor eight months later , on August 30 , 1945 . Bolden reached the rank of Master Sergeant before leaving the Army . He died at age 56 and was buried in Moon Cemetery , Owens Cross Roads , Alabama . An 18 - mile stretch of Alabama State Route 53 , from Research Park Boulevard in Huntsville to just south of Ardmore , is designated as the " Paul Luther Bolden Memorial Highway " in his honor . Medal of Honor citation . Bolden ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : He voluntarily attacked a formidable enemy strong point in Petit - Coo , Belgium , on 23 December 1944 , when his company was pinned down by extremely heavy automatic and small - arms fire coming from a house 200 yards to the front . Mortar and tank artillery shells pounded the unit , when S / Sgt . Bolden and a comrade , on their own initiative , moved forward into a hail of bullets to eliminate the ever - increasing fire from the German position . Crawling ahead to close with what they knew was a powerfully armed , vastly superior force , the pair reached the house and took up assault positions , S / Sgt . Bolden under a window , his comrade across the street where he could deliver covering fire . In rapid succession , S / Sgt . Bolden hurled a fragmentation grenade and a white phosphorus grenade into the building ; and then , fully realizing that he faced tremendous odds , rushed to the door , threw it open and fired into 35 SS troopers who were trying to reorganize themselves after the havoc wrought by the grenades . Twenty Germans died under fire of his submachinegun before he was struck in the shoulder , chest , and stomach by part of a burst which killed his comrade across the street . He withdrew from the house , waiting for the surviving Germans to come out and surrender . When none appeared in the doorway , he summoned his ebbing strength , overcame the extreme pain he suffered and boldly walked back into the house , firing as he went . He had killed the remaining 15 enemy soldiers when his ammunition ran out . S / Sgt . Bolden ' s heroic advance against great odds , his fearless assault , and his magnificent display of courage in reentering the building where he had been severely wounded cleared the path for his company and insured the success of its mission .