William D . Halyburton , Jr . William David Halyburton , Jr . , ( October 2 , 1924 – May 10 , 1945 ) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the U . S . military ' s highest decoration , the Medal of Honor , for his actions in World War II . He earned the medal while serving as a corpsman attached to a U . S . Marine Corps unit in the Battle of Okinawa . Biography . Born on August 2 , 1924 , in Canton , North Carolina , Halyburton attended Canton Presbyterian Church before moving to Wilmington , North Carolina . He entered seminary at Davidson College in Davidson , North Carolina , but left to enlist in the U . S . Naval Reserve in August 1943 . Completing recruit training at the Naval Training Center , Bainbridge , Maryland , he was promoted to seaman second class in the fall . Remaining in the area , he attended the Hospital Corps School and was rated a pharmacist ' s mate third class . Receiving additional training , he was promoted to pharmacist ' s mate second class and departed for the Pacific war zone in December 1944 on board the transport . Arriving in the area , he joined the 2nd Battalion , 5th Marine Regiment , 1st Marine Division . On May 10 , 1945 , Halyburton served with a Marine rifle company against the Japanese on Okinawa when they suffered numerous casualties after advancing into Awacha Draw . Exposed to enemy fire , he rushed to aid a fallen Marine the furthest away . Shielding the man with his own body while administering aid , Halyburton was mortally wounded . For this action , he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor . He was one of two people from Haywood County , North Carolina , to receive the medal in World War II , the other being Max Thompson . Halyburton is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Honolulu , Hawaii . Honors . The , a guided missile frigate commissioned on January 4 , 1984 , was named in his honor . A number of other military structures have been named for him , including Halyburton Quarters in Charleston , South Carolina ; a road at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda , Maryland ; and a barracks at Naval Air Station Pensacola , Florida . A public park in Wilmington is named for him , and in his birth city of Canton , Halliburton Street was re - spelled Halyburton Street in his honor . Medal of Honor citation . Halyburton ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with a Marine Rifle Company in the 2d Battalion , 5th Marines , 1st Marine Division , during action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa Shima in the Ryukyu Chain , 10 May 1945 . Undaunted by the deadly accuracy of Japanese counterfire as his unit pushed the attack through a strategically important draw , Halyburton unhesitatingly dashed across the draw and up the hill into an open fire - swept field where the company advance squad was suddenly pinned down under a terrific concentration of mortar , machinegun and sniper fire with resultant severe casualties . Moving steadily forward despite the enemy ' s merciless barrage , he reached the wounded marine who lay farthest away and was rendering first aid when his patient was struck for the second time by a Japanese bullet . Instantly placing himself in the direct line of fire , he shielded the fallen fighter with his own body and staunchly continued his ministrations although constantly menaced by the slashing fury of shrapnel and bullets falling on all sides . Alert , determined and completely unselfish in his concern for the helpless marine , he persevered in his efforts until he himself sustained mortal wounds and collapsed , heroically sacrificing himself that his comrade might live . By his outstanding valor and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of tremendous odds , Halyburton sustained and enhanced the highest traditions of the U . S . Naval Service . He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country .