William H . Wilbur William Hale Wilbur ( September 24 , 1888 – December 27 , 1979 ) was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military ' s highest decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in World War II . Early life and Military service . Wilbur was born September 24 , 1888 in Palmer , Massachusetts . He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1912 and joined the Army from his birth city of Palmer , Massachusetts . He also attended the French military academy École spéciale militaire de Saint - Cyr as a classmate of Charles de Gaulle and saw combat in World War I . He commanded the 60th Infantry Regiment from 1941 to 1942 . On November 8 , 1942 Wilbur , now a colonel , participated in Operation Torch , the Allied invasion of French North Africa . He served on the staff of Major General George S . Patton as part of the Western Task Force , charged with capturing the city of Casablanca , Morocco , from the Vichy French forces . Several American officers , including Wilbur , were chosen to carry messages to French commanders who were believed to be sympathetic towards the Allies . Wilbur was to contact Admiral François Michelier , commander of the French naval forces in Casablanca , and deliver to him a letter from General Patton . The Allies hoped to gain assistance from these French commanders , or at least convince them to lay down their arms and not oppose the invasion . After landing with the first assault wave in Fedala , Wilbur approached the French lines under a white flag of truce and was escorted to their division headquarters . Finding that his intermediate contact there had been arrested for treason , he attempted to give the letter to the presiding general . The general refused to accept it , so Wilbur placed the letter on the man ' s desk and left . Before reaching his vehicle , he was stopped by another officer who offered to take him to Admiral Michelier . Upon arriving at the admiral ' s headquarters , he was turned away ; Michelier refused to meet with him . Wilbur headed back to the American lines in Fedala . After arriving back at the Allied - held beachhead , Wilbur led an attack against a French artillery battery . One of the few French guns still firing in the area , the battery was targeting Allied ships off shore . Wilbur gathered four tanks and a company of infantry to assault the position . He personally accompanied the group , riding along on the lead tank , and commanded them in the successful capture of the battery . Wilbur was approved for the Medal of Honor two months later , on January 13 , 1943 . The medal was presented to him by President Franklin D . Roosevelt during a ceremony in Casablanca on January 22 , 1943 , in the midst of the Casablanca Conference . Also in attendance were General George Marshall , the Chief of Staff of the United States Army , and Major General Patton . Wilbur continued to serve for the remainder of the war , rising to the rank of brigadier general . As deputy commander of the 36th Infantry Division during the Italian Campaign , he participated in the Allied landings in Salerno and the subsequent fighting through the winter of 1943 - 1944 . He was then stationed in east Asia before retiring from the Army in 1947 . Later life . A strident anti - communist , Wilbur became involved in the political discourse regarding the Korean War . South Korean president Syngman Rhee had offered him an official advisory post before the war , but he declined the position . In 1950 , his son , Army Lieutenant William H . Wilbur , Jr . , was killed in Korea and posthumously awarded the Army ' s second - highest honor , the Distinguished Service Cross . Wilbur was a vocal supporter of then - Presidential candidate Dwight D . Eisenhower ' s plan to withdraw American troops from Korea , giving several speeches on the topic in 1952 . He was also involved in law enforcement , serving on the Chicago Crime Commission and briefly as warden of the Cook County Jail . He authored several non - fiction books , including " The Making of George Washington " ( 1973 , ISBN 978 - 0 - 912530 - 02 - 4 ) and " Freedom Must Not Perish " ( 1964 ) . He died at age 91 and was buried in West Point Cemetery on the grounds of his alma mater , the U . S . Military Academy . Medal of Honor citation . His official Medal of Honor citation reads : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty . Col . Wilbur prepared the plan for making contact with French commanders in Casablanca and obtaining an armistice to prevent unnecessary bloodshed . On 8 November 1942 , he landed at Fedala with the leading assault waves where opposition had developed into a firm and continuous defensive line across his route of advance . Commandeering a vehicle , he was driven toward the hostile defenses under incessant fire , finally locating a French officer who accorded him passage through the forward positions . He then proceeded in total darkness through 16 miles of enemy - occupied country intermittently subjected to heavy bursts of fire , and accomplished his mission by delivering his letters to appropriate French officials in Casablanca . Returning toward his command , Col . Wilbur detected a hostile battery firing effectively on our troops . He took charge of a platoon of American tanks and personally led them in an attack and capture of the battery . From the moment of landing until the cessation of hostile resistance , Col . Wilbur ' s conduct was voluntary and exemplary in its coolness and daring . Contributions . One of his greatest contributions was researching and writing about the childhood and upbringing of George Washington . The book is called , " The Making of George Washington , " and he wrote it " because the world needs Washington again . " ( Sue Maxwell , personal friend ) His most important contribution was his research and writing on the upbringing of George Washington , contained in the book " The Making of George Washington . " He told me that he wrote the book " because the world needs Washington again . " ( Sue Maxwell - friend )