Lucian Adams Staff Sergeant Lucian Adams ( October 26 , 1922 – March 31 , 2003 ) was a United States Army soldier during World War II who received the Medal of Honor for single - handedly destroying enemy machine gun emplacements to re - establish supply line s to U . S . Army companies . He also received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his heroic actions in Italy . Personal . Lucian Adams was born on October 26 , 1922 , in Port Arthur , Texas . He was one of twelve children from a large Mexican American family . He attended Port Arthur High School . Adams enlisted in the Army in February 1943 after spending two years in a wartime plant making landing craft - Just like the ones that would carry him to the shores of Italy then France in the American invasion of Europe . Service . In the summer of 1944 , the 3rd Infantry Division landed near Saint – Tropez and began advancing into central France . By late October , Sergeant Adam ' s company was near the town of Saint - Die in the Mortagne forest , moving down a country road to open a supply line to two assault companies of his battalion that were cut off by the Germans . When stopped by heavy enemy fire , Adams , was sent forward to scout the German position and reported three enemy machine - gun nests to his company commander . He was then told " You go on out there and make a breakthrough to get those GIs " . Carrying a borrowed Browning Automatic Rifle , Adams began walking with his men down the road which was heavily wooded on both sides . They had advanced just ten yards before the German machine guns opened fire , killing three men immediately and wounding six others . The rest of the men except Adams took cover . Adams pressed forward moving from tree to tree straight through enemy fire to kill the first gunner with a grenade . When another German popped up from a foxhole a few yards away , Adams killed him with fire from the BAR . Charging into the fire of the second machine gun , he killed its gunner with another grenade and forced its two supporting infantrymen to surrender . He then ran deeper into the woods ; killing five more Germans . He then began taking fire from the third machine gunner who missed his mark ; Adams didn ' t . He killed the gunner , and by the time Adams finished his one - man rampage , he had cleared the woods of enemy soldiers . Adams ' men began calling him the Tornado from Texas . After the action Adams was told by messenger that he was recommended for the Medal of Honor . Since he had heard the same thing at Anzio when he single handedly destroyed a German machine gun position , he didn ' t pay too much attention and continued on with his unit fighting their way into Germany . In the spring of 1945 he received orders to go home to be awarded the Medal of Honor by President Franklin D . Roosevelt . Before he left however , President Roosevelt died . Adams received the medal from Lieutenant General Alexander Patch on April 23 , 1945 in Nuremberg ' s Zeppelin Stadium . An American flag was draped over a huge swastika on the top of the stadium . After the ceremony American engineers removed the flag and blew up the swastika . After serving in the European Theatre during World War II , he returned to Texas where he worked for the Veterans Administration for over 40 years before retiring in 1986 . He died on March 31 , 2003 , in San Antonio , Texas , and is buried in the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio . Medal of Honor citation . While serving with the 30th Infantry , 3rd Infantry Division , in France , SSgt Adams ' company was attempting to open supply lines ; he single - handedly eliminated the enemy positions . His citation reads : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 28 October 1944 , near St . Die , France . When his company was stopped in its effort to drive through the Mortagne Forest to reopen the supply line to the isolated third battalion , S / Sgt . Adams braved the concentrated fire of machineguns in a lone assault on a force of German troops . Although his company had progressed less than 10 yards and had lost 3 killed and 6 wounded , S / Sgt . Adams charged forward dodging from tree to tree firing a borrowed BAR from the hip . Despite intense machinegun fire which the enemy directed at him and rifle grenades which struck the trees over his head showering him with broken twigs and branches , S / Sgt . Adams made his way to within 10 yards of the closest machinegun and killed the gunner with a hand grenade . An enemy soldier threw hand grenades at him from a position only 10 yards distant ; however , S / Sgt . Adams dispatched him with a single burst of BAR fire . Charging into the vortex of the enemy fire , he killed another machinegunner at 15 yards range with a hand grenade and forced the surrender of 2 supporting infantrymen . Although the remainder of the German group concentrated the full force of its automatic weapons fire in a desperate effort to knock him out , he proceeded through the woods to find and exterminate 5 more of the enemy . Finally , when the third German machinegun opened up on him at a range of 20 yards , S / Sgt . Adams killed the gunner with BAR fire . In the course of the action , he personally killed 9 Germans , eliminated 3 enemy machineguns , vanquished a specialized force which was armed with automatic weapon s and grenade launcher s , cleared the woods of hostile elements , and reopened the severed supply lines to the assault companies of his battalion . He was awarded the Medal of Honor on March 29 , 1945 . Awards and recognitions . Among Lucian Adams ' decorations and medals were the following :