George D . Libby George Dalton Libby ( 4 December 1919 – 20 July 1950 ) was a soldier in the United States Army during the Korean War . He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions on July 20 , 1950 . Part of the U . S . 24th Infantry Division , sergeant Libby was attempting to withdraw from Taejon after the battle of Taejon when the truck he was riding in was disabled by North Korean fire . Libby exposed himself to North Korean fire multiple times to help wounded soldiers , before using himself as a human shield to protect the driver of another truck as they broke through the North Korean forces . Shot multiple times , Libby died from blood loss but was able to protect a truck full of wounded men until they escaped to allied lines . For this action , Libby was awarded the Medal of Honor . Biography . George Dalton Libby was born on 4 December 1919 . In Bridgton , Maine . He enlisted in the United States Army in Waterbury , Connecticut . Libby was known to have fought in World War II in the European Theatre of Operations . By the time of the outbreak of the Korean War , however , Libby was a sergeant and had been assigned to C Company of the 3rd Engineer Battalion , 24th Infantry Division . Medal of honor action . On 20 July 1950 , the 24th Infantry Division was attempting to withdraw from the city of Taejon , South Korea , after having been badly beaten by the North Korean People ' s Army in the Battle of Taejon . By nightfall , the last remaining elements of the division were attempting to leave the town for Taegu . Libby was aboard a truck to the east of town attempting to evacuate when it reached a North Korean roadblock . North Koreans there ambushed the truck , disabling it and killing or wounding everyone aboard except Libby with gunfire . Libby disembarked from the damaged truck , taking cover in a ditch and returning fire on the North Koreans . During this fight , Libby twice exposed himself to North Korean fire to run across the road to assist other wounded soldiers . After rendering medical aid to the wounded , and pulling them out of the line of fire , Libby then stopped a passing M5 Half - track which was towing a 105 mm Howitzer and loaded them onto it . Libby then took a position on the outside of the truck , protecting the driver with his own body and again exposing himself to North Korean fire , as he was the only unwounded solder capable of carrying a weapon , Having the vehicle stop several times to load more wounded onto it , Libby continued to return fire at North Koreans with his M2 Carbine they encountered as they attempted to evacuate . Libby was struck several times in the body and arms by North Korean bullets as they broke through the first roadblock . At a second roadblock , Libby was struck again by North Korean gunfire . Too weak to hold his weapon , Libby pulled himself to an erect position in order to be a human shield for the driver until they were out of the range of North Korean fire . Libby eventually collapsed and died from blood loss , but his actions allowed the truck full of wounded men to evacuate to safety . On 2 August 1951 , the Army awarded the Medal of Honor to Libby posthumously . Later , on 4 July 1953 , a bridge across the Imjin River in South Korea was dedicated to Libby . Awards and decorations . Libby ' s awards and decorations include : Medal of honor citation . Libby was one of the first two soldiers to be awarded the Medal of Honor during the Korean war , the other being 24th Infantry Division commander major general William F . Dean , who was captured in the same evacuation .