serviceyears branch death_place death_date birth_place allegiance unit awards placeofburial_label battles birth_date placeofburial rank article_title name
1943 - 1945 united states army near prümzurlay , germany february 27 , 1945 1924 marlow , oklahoma united states of america 301st engineer combat battalion , 76th infantry division medal of honor purple heart place of burial world war ii 1924 city of lubbock cemetery lubbock , texas private first class herman c. wallace
 herman c. wallace
herman c. wallace

herman c. wallace -lrb- 1924 -- february 27 , 1945 -rrb- was a united states army soldier and a recipient of the united states military 's highest decoration -- the medal of honor -- for his actions in world war ii .
wallace joined the army from lubbock , texas in june 1943 , and by february 27 , 1945 was serving as a private first class in company b , 301st engineer combat battalion , 76th infantry division .
on that day , during demining operations near prümzurlay in western germany , wallace stepped on an s-mine .
knowing that if he tried to run away the mine would pop up and explode a few feet off the ground , thus endangering the soldiers near him , he deliberately remained standing on the mine until it detonated .
wallace was killed in the explosion , but the blast was confined to the ground and no other soldiers were injured .
he was posthumously awarded the medal of honor eight months later , on october 25 , 1945 .
wallace , aged 20 or 21 at his death , was buried in the city of lubbock cemetery , lubbock , texas .
