Aníbal Milhais Aníbal Augusto Milhais GOTE ( nickname " Soldier Millions " ) ( July 9 , 1895 – June 3 , 1970 ) was the most decorated Portuguese soldier of World War I and the only Portuguese soldier awarded the highest national honour , the Ordem de Torre e Espada do Valor , Lealdade e Mérito ( " Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword , of Valour , Loyalty and Merit " ) on the battlefield instead of the usual public ceremony in Lisbon . Origin . Milhais was a farmer , born on July 9 , 1895 , in the small village of Valongo de Milhais , a parish of Murça , in north of Portugal . On July 30 , 1915 , he was drafted into the Infantry of Bragança . In 1917 he was mobilized to join the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps . He arrived in France in the same year , as a member of the Trás os Montes brigade from the 2nd Infantry Division of the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps . The 2nd Infantry Division was deployed to the front line . In the war . The Portuguese soldiers often volunteered to infiltrate enemy lines and raid trenches , even if the casualties on both sides were extremely high . Three German divisions had been rotated in the sector facing the 2nd Division in the last nine months before April 1918 . The division saw no major battles , but suffered many casualties and extreme fatigue among the front line soldiers through the consecutive night raids . The participation of Portugal in World War I took place mostly in Flanders , which is in Belgium . On April 9 , 1918 . The battle is known in Portugal as " The Battle of La Lys " – the first day of Ludendorff ' s Lys Offensive , otherwise known as " Operation Georgette " , and as the " Battle of Estaires " in official British history . Milhais found himself in the midst of the battle of La Lys , in the field of Isberg , covering the withdrawal of Portuguese and Scottish soldiers . Within a few hours 1 , 938 men were killed , 5 , 198 wounded and about 7 , 000 taken prisoners . Despite the disaster , many Portuguese soldiers showed extraordinary bravery , including Milhais , known as Soldier Millions . Milhais was in charge of one of their Lewis guns on 9 April 1918 . During " Operation Georgette " , when the German Army attacked his division , Milhais stood up with his Lewis machine gun and defeated , almost single handedly , two German assaults by laying down intense fire , leaving hundreds of Germans dead . He managed to cover the retreat of Portuguese and Scots alike despite coming under heavy attack himself . He fired in all directions and stayed at his post until he ran out of ammunition . His bravery under severe circumstances managed to convince the Germans that they were up against a fortified unit rather than just a single Portuguese soldier with a machine gun . Finally , the Germans decided to go around and Milhais found himself alone in the rear of the enemy lines where he stayed for three days almost without eating or drinking . On the third day , Milhais , still carrying his Lewis , rescued a Scottish major from a swamp and the two reached Allied lines . Milhais was warmly welcomed but did not say anything about his experiences . It was through the officer he had helped reporting the story to the British HQ and several other testimonies that his deeds become known . A few months later , Milhais again held back the Germans , standing alone with his Lewis gun and allowing a Belgian unit to retreat safely to a secondary trench without casualties . Both the British observers present in the scene and the Belgian commander included his action in their reports . Milhais was awarded the highest distinction of the Portuguese : the Order of the Sword and Tower and with the French Légion d ' Honneur delivered on the battlefield before 15 , 000 allied soldiers . The bravery of Milhais in the battle of La Lys earned him the 4th Class of the Order of Tower and Sword of Value , Loyalty and Merit , the highest Portuguese decoration . The degree of " Knight of the Order of Military Tower and Sword " was created by Afonso V , later annulled , and later restored by King John VI , to reward " the value , the Loyalty and Merit " . On July 15 , 1918 , the Order of Service of the Battalion published a commendation , given by Major Ferreira do Amaral , which described his action as having been worth a million men , hence the nickname by which he became known . After the war . On February 2 , 1919 , he returned to his homeland and married Teresa de Jesus and had nine children with her . Unfortunately , after the war ended , the Portuguese economy was near bankruptcy and Milhais faced difficulties in providing for his family . The Portuguese government promised to help but , instead of an allowance , named the village where he was born after him . On July 8 , 1924 , the Parliament named the town of Valongo , officially Valongo of Milhais . Now the rather shy Milhais was living in the village of Valongo of Milhais , more famous than ever , but as poor as before . He received many decorations and much public praise , but the highly decorated soldier still could not provide for his family . In 1928 , he emigrated to Brazil in an attempt to improve his financial standing . The Portuguese community in Brazil received him as a hero . When the Portuguese living there realized that Milhais was in Brazil by need , the community gathered funds to send him back to Portugal with enough money to provide for his family . The Portuguese thought it a national indignity and were angry that the military had forced such a degrading life on Milhais . On August 5 , 1928 , he returned to Portugal and back to agriculture , to restart his life . He started to receive a small pension from the State , on the Order of the Tower and Sword . Even so , it was enough to live as a national hero . He died on June 3 , 1970 , in the village named after him . Legacy . A permanent exhibition remembering his achievements can be seen in the Military Museum in the city of Porto . Furthermore , a statue in his honor was erected in his hometown as a national tribute and as a symbol for Portugal .