John R . Fox John Robert Fox ( May 18 , 1915 – December 26 , 1944 ) was killed in action when he deliberately called for artillery fire on his own position , after his position was overrun , in order to defeat a German attack in the vicinity of Sommocolonia , northern Italy during World War II . He posthumously received the Medal of Honor in 1997 , for willingly sacrificing his life . Biography . Fox was born in Cincinnati , Ohio May 18 , 1915 , and attended Wilberforce University , participating in ROTC under Aaron R . Fisher and graduating with an commission of second lieutenant in 1940 . He was 29 years old when he called artillery fire on his own position the day after Christmas in 1944 , for which he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 1982 . More than fifty years after his death , Fox was awarded the Medal of Honor . He is buried in Colebrook Cemetery in Whitman , Massachusetts . In the early 1990s it was determined that African - American soldiers were denied consideration for the Medal of Honor solely due to their race . After a review , seven African - American soldiers had their Medals upgraded in January , 1997 to the Medal of Honor ; First Lieutenant Fox was one of the seven . Military service . The 92nd Infantry Division ( colored ) , known as the Buffalo Soldier s , was a segregated African American division that fought in World War II . First Lieutenant John R . Fox was of the 366th Infantry Regiment when he made the ultimate sacrifice in order to defeat the enemy and save the lives of his fellow soldiers . In December 1944 , Fox was part of a small forward observer party that volunteered to stay behind in the Italian village of Sommocolonia , in the Serchio River Valley . American forces had been forced to withdraw from the village after it had been overrun by the enemy . From his position on the second floor of a house , Fox directed defensive artillery fire . The enemy was in the streets and attacking in strength , greatly outnumbering the small group of American soldiers . Fox radioed in to have the artillery fire adjusted closer to his position , then radioed again to have the shelling moved even closer . The soldier receiving the message was stunned , for that would bring the deadly fire right on top of Fox ’ s position ; there was no way he would survive . When Fox was told this , he replied , “ Fire it . ” This shelling delayed the enemy advance until other units could reorganize to repel the attack . His action permitted U . S . forces , who had been forced to withdraw , to organize a counterattack and regain control of the village . After the units had retaken the village , they found Fox ’ s body along with the bodies of about one hundred enemy soldiers . Honors . After the war the citizens of Sommocolonia , Italy erected a monument to nine men who were killed during the artillery barrage - eight Italian soldiers , and Lieutenant Fox . In 2005 , the toy company Hasbro introduced a 12 - inch action figure " commemorating Lt . John R . Fox as part of its G . I . Joe " Medal - of - Honor " series . " Medal of Honor citation . For his " gallant and courageous actions , at the supreme sacrifice of his own life , " Fox was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor . His widow , the former Arlene Marrow of Brockton , Massachusetts , received his medal from President Bill Clinton in a White House ceremony on January 13 , 1997 . On that day , Clinton also awarded the medal to six other previously neglected African American World War II veterans , including Vernon Baker , who was the only one living when awarded . Citation : For extraordinary heroism against an armed enemy in the vicinity of Sommocolonia , Italy on 26 December 1944 , while serving as a member of Cannon Company , 366th Infantry Regiment , 92d Infantry Division . During the preceding few weeks , Lieutenant Fox served with the 598th Field Artillery Battalion as a forward observer . On Christmas night , enemy soldiers gradually infiltrated the town of Sommocolonia in civilian clothes , and by early morning the town was largely in hostile hands . Commencing with a heavy barrage of enemy artillery at 0400 hours on 26 December 1944 , an organized attack by uniformed German units began . Being greatly outnumbered , most of the United States Infantry forces were forced to withdraw from the town , but Lieutenant Fox and some other members of his observer party voluntarily remained on the second floor of a house to direct defensive artillery fire . At 0800 hours , Lieutenant Fox reported that the Germans were in the streets and attacking in strength . He then called for defensive artillery fire to slow the enemy advance . As the Germans continued to press the attack towards the area that Lieutenant Fox occupied , he adjusted the artillery fire closer to his position . Finally he was warned that the next adjustment would bring the deadly artillery right on top of his position . After acknowledging the danger , Lieutenant Fox insisted that the last adjustment be fired as this was the only way to defeat the attacking soldiers . Later , when a counterattack retook the position from the Germans , Lieutenant Fox ' s body was found with the bodies of approximately 100 German soldiers . Lieutenant Fox ' s gallant and courageous actions , at the supreme sacrifice of his own life , contributed greatly to delaying the enemy advance until other infantry and artillery units could reorganize to repel the attack . His extraordinary valorous actions were in keeping with the most cherished traditions of military service , and reflect the utmost credit on him , his unit , and the United States Army