Edward Clyde Benfold Edward Clyde Benfold ( January 15 , 1931 – September 5 , 1952 ) was a United States Navy Hospital Corpsman Third Class who was killed in action while assigned to the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War . He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor , the nation ' s highest military award for valor , for his heroic action on September 5 , 1952 . Early life . Benfold was born in Staten Island . He grew up in Haddon Heights , New Jersey and lived in nearby Audubon , where he graduated from Audubon High School . United States Navy . He entered the United States Navy at Philadelphia , Pennsylvania in June 1949 . After completion of Navy recruit training in Great Lakes , Illinois , he was selected for " A " school training there at the Naval Hospital Corps School . In July 1951 , he was designated as a Medical Field Technician and was ordered to duty with the Fleet Marine Force ( FMF ) , Ground , Pacific . After a tour of duty with a Marine unit , he was reassigned to the Fleet Marine Force and was assigned to Company E , 2nd Battalion , 1st Marine Regiment , 1st Marine Division in Korea and was killed in action while saving the lives of two wounded Marines during the battle of " Bunker Hill " ( Hill 122 ) ( Aug . 12 - 16 - Sept . 5 - 15 ) , an outpost in western Korea on September 5 , 1952 . Medal of Honor . He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously . The medal was presented to his one - year old son ( NOK ; wife remarried ) on July 16 , 1953 . Burial . He is buried in Beverly National Cemetery , New Jersey . His grave can be found in the distinguished service section , Grave 12 . Medal of Honor citation . He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously : For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Hospital Corpsman , attached to a company in the First Marine Division during operations against enemy aggressor forces in Korea on September 5 , 1952 . When his company was subjected to heavy artillery and mortar barrages , followed by a determined assault during the hours of darkness by an enemy force estimated at battalion strength , BENFOLD resolutely moved from position to position in the face of intense hostile fire , treating the wounded and lending words of encouragement . Leaving the protection of his sheltered position to treat the wounded when the platoon area in which he was working was attacked from both the front and the rear , he moved forward to an exposed ridge line where he observed two Marines in a large crater . As he approached the two men to determine their condition , an enemy soldier threw two grenade s into the crater while two other enemies charged the position . Picking up a grenade in each hand , BENFOLD leaped out of the crater and hurled himself against the onrushing hostile soldiers , pushing the grenades against their chests and killing both the attackers . Mortally wounded while carrying out this heroic act , BENFOLD , by his great personal valor and resolute spirit of self - sacrifice in the face of almost certain death , was directly responsible for saving the lives of his two comrades . His exceptional courage reflects the highest credit upon himself and enhances the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service . He gallantly gave his life for others . Legacy . The " Arleigh Burke " - class guided missile destroyer was named after Hospital Corpsman Third Class Edward C . Benfold and commissioned on March 30 , 1996 at Broadway Pier in San Diego .