Stanley Bender Stanley Bender ( October 31 , 1909 – June 22 , 1994 ) 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 . Bender joined the Army from Chicago , Illinois in December 1939 . By August 17 , 1944 was serving as a Staff Sergeant in Company E , 7th Infantry Regiment , 3rd Infantry Division . On that day , near La Lande , France , he single - handedly silenced two German machine gun emplacements and led his squad in the destruction of the remainder of a German strong point . For these actions , he was awarded the Medal of Honor six months later , on February 1 , 1945 . Bender died at age 84 and was buried in High Lawn Memorial Park , Oak Hill , West Virginia . Medal of Honor citation . Bender ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty . On 17 August 1944 , near La Lande , France , he climbed on top of a knocked - out tank , in the face of withering machinegun fire which had halted the advance of his company , in an effort to locate the source of this fire . Although bullets ricocheted off the turret at his feet , he nevertheless remained standing upright in full view of the enemy for over 2 minutes . Locating the enemy machineguns on a knoll 200 yards away , he ordered 2 squads to cover him and led his men down an irrigation ditch , running a gauntlet of intense machinegun fire , which completely blanketed 50 yards of his advance and wounded 4 of his men . While the Germans hurled hand grenade s at the ditch , he stood his ground until his squad caught up with him , then advanced alone , in a wide flanking approach , to the rear of the knoll . He walked deliberately a distance of 40 yards , without cover , in full view of the Germans and under a hail of both enemy and friendly fire , to the first machinegun and knocked it out with a single short burst . Then he made his way through the strong point , despite bursting hand grenades , toward the second machinegun , 25 yards distant , whose 2 - man crew swung the machinegun around and fired two bursts at him , but he walked calmly through the fire and , reaching the edge of the emplacement , dispatched the crew . Signaling his men to rush the rifle pits , he then walked 35 yards further to kill an enemy rifleman and returned to lead his squad in the destruction of the 8 remaining Germans in the strong point . His audacity so inspired the remainder of the assault company that the men charged out of their positions , shouting and yelling , to overpower the enemy roadblock and sweep into town , knocking out 2 antitank guns , killing 37 Germans and capturing 26 others . He had sparked and led the assault company in an attack which overwhelmed the enemy , destroying a roadblock , taking a town , seizing intact 3 bridges over the Maravenne River , and capturing commanding terrain which dominated the area . Memorials . On November 9 , 1954 , a portion of the West Virginia Turnpike was dedicated to Bender . It was renamed " Bender Bridge " and was topped with a plaque telling of his heroism during the War . ( 2 )