George Benjamin, Jr.
Private First Class, U.S. Army
Medal of Honor Recipient
World War II

Private First Class George Benjamin, Jr., (24 April 1919 - 22 December 1944) was a U.S. Army soldier who was posthumously awarded the U.S. military's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Philippines campaign of World War II.

George Benjamin, Jr. was born in Philadelphia, PA, and later moved to New Jersey. After graduating from Woodbury High School in Woodbury, NJ, he joined the Army from nearby Carneys Point.

On 21 December 1944, Benjamin was serving in the Philippines as a Private First Class with Company A of the 306th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division. On that day he was severely wounded while leading an assault against a strongly defended Japanese position on the island of Leyte. After being evacuated to an aid station, he conveyed valuable information regarding the disposition of the Japanese emplacement to his superiors. He died of his wounds the next day. For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He is one of only two Medal of Honor recipients from Gloucester County, NJ.

Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 306th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division.

Place and date: Leyte, Philippine Islands, 21 December 1944.

Citation: He was a radio operator, advancing in the rear of his company as it engaged a well-defended Japanese strong point holding up the progress of the entire battalion. When a rifle platoon supporting a light tank hesitated in its advance, he voluntarily and with utter disregard for personal safety left his comparatively secure position and ran across bullet-whipped terrain to the tank, waving and shouting to the men of the platoon to follow. Carrying his bulky radio and armed only with a pistol, he fearlessly penetrated intense machinegun and rifle fire to the enemy position; where he killed 1 of the enemy in a foxhole and moved on to annihilate the crew of a light machinegun. Heedless of the terrific fire now concentrated on him, he continued to spearhead the assault, killing 2 more of the enemy and exhorting the other men to advance, until he fell mortally wounded. After being evacuated to an aid station, his first thought was still of the American advance. Overcoming great pain he called for the battalion operations officer to report the location of enemy weapons and valuable tactical information he had secured in his heroic charge. The unwavering courage, the unswerving devotion to the task at hand, the aggressive leadership of Pfc. Benjamin was a source of great and lasting inspiration to his comrades and were to a great extent responsible for the success of the battalion's mission.

Medals and Awards

Medal of Honor
Purple Heart

Honors

On 4 July 1995, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, a memorial was erected in Woodbury, NJ, Benjamin's home town. It was also on this date that the George Benjamin Jr. Memorial 5K Run was inaugurated.

Death and Burial

Age 25 at his death, Benjamin was buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Manila, Manila City, Philippines, in Plot B-7-156.