Sylvester Antolak Sylvester Antolak ( September 10 , 1916 St . Clairsville , Ohio – May 24 , 1944 Cisterna di Littoria , Italy ) was a United States Army Sergeant who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for actions on May 24 , 1944 . Sergeant Antolak was an American of Polish descent . He joined the army from his hometown in July 1941 . Medal of Honor citation . Near Cisterna di Littoria , Italy , he charged 200 yards over flat , coverless terrain to destroy an enemy machine gun nest during the second day of the offensive which broke through the German cordon of steel around the Anzio beachhead . Fully 30 yards in advance of his squad , he ran into withering enemy machine gun , machine - pistol and rifle fire . Three times he was struck by bullet s and knocked to the ground , but each time , he struggled to his feet to continue his relentless advance . With one shoulder deeply gashed and his right arm shattered , he continued to rush directly into the enemy fire concentration with his submachine gun wedged under his uninjured arm until within 15 yards of the enemy strong point , where he opened fire at deadly close range , killing 2 Germans and forcing the remaining 10 to surrender . He reorganized his men and , refusing to seek the medical attention which was so badly needed , chose to lead the way toward another strong point 100 yards distant . Utterly disregarding the hail of bullets concentrated upon him , he stormed ahead nearly three - fourths of the space between strong points until he was instantly killed by hostile enemy fire . Inspired by his example , his squad went on to overwhelm the enemy troops . By his supreme sacrifice , superb fighting courage , and heroic devotion to the attack , Sgt . Antolak was directly responsible for eliminating 20 Germans , capturing an enemy machine gun , and clearing the path for his company to advance . " To Hell And Back " . In his book , " To Hell And Back , " fellow Congressional Medal of Honor awardee Audie L . Murphy refers to Antolak as " Lutsky " and provides the following account of his heroism : " “ We roll over the wall and find ourselves in the range of two enemy strongpoints . But for the moment , the krauts are ignoring us . They are absorbed in trying to split the two groups of men that preceded us . A sergeant in the first platoon senses the predicament . If his men are isolated , they will likely be destroyed . He makes his decision quickly . Motioning his men to follow , he rises and with a submachine gun charges head - on toward one of the enemy positions two hundred yards away . On the flat , coverless terrain , his body is a perfect target . A blast of automatic fire knocks him down . He springs to his feet with a bleeding shoulder and continues his charge . The guns rattle . Again he goes down . Fascinated , we watch as he gets up for the third time and dashes straight into the enemy fire . The Germans throw everything they have at him . He falls to the earth ; and when he again pulls himself to his feet , we see that his right arm is shattered . But wedging his gun under his left armpit , he continues firing and staggers forward . Ten horrified Germans throw down their guns and yell “ Kamerad ” . That is all I see . But later I learn that the sergeant , ignoring the pleas of his men to get under cover and wait for medical attention , charged the second enemy strongpoint . By sheer guts , he advanced sixty yards before being stopped by a final concentration of enemy fire . He reeled , then tottered forward another few yards before falling . Inspired by his valor and half - insane with rage , his men took over , stormed the kraut emplacement , and captured it . When they returned to their leader , he was dead . This was how Lutsky , the sergeant , helped buy the freedom that we cherish and abuse . ” " Legacy . The USNS Sgt . Sylvester Antolak ( T - AP - 192 ) was named after Sgt . Sylvester Antolak .