Donald Kenneth Schwab
First Lieutenant, U.S. Army
Medal of Honor Recipient, World War II

Donald K. Schwab was born on 6 December 1918, in rural Hooper, NE, to Harry J. and Catherine Schwein Schwab. He attended District 15 School and graduated from Hooper High School in 1936.

Upon graduation from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and during World War II he received a commission and eventually served as a First Lieutenant. He served in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and France.

While serving with Company E, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division on 17 September 1944 in Lure, France, 1LT Schwab led his company over 400 yards of bare, coverless ground against a formidable line of machine-guns and machine-pistols, and made three charges with his dwindling group of men before he charged the enemy alone. Ultimately, he took out a German pistol nest by ripping off its shelter cover, bludgeoning the gunner with his carbine and dragging him behind friendly lines amid a hail of gunfire. The action so disorganized the enemy troops that they abandoned their defenses and withdrew.

Post-Military Life

Donald married Maralee Janssen on 18 September 1946, at Grace Lutheran Church in Hooper. They moved onto the family farm near Hooper until his appointment as a rural mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in 1951, where he worked until his retirement in 1980.

In retirement, he could be found playing golf, Euchre or gardening. He was a kind and gentle husband, father and grandpa. He had a special passion for his grandchildren.

He was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Hooper, serving on the church council for many years and as treasurer for the building fund when the church was under construction. He was very active as a member of Hooper American Legion Post 18 and Hooper-Winslow Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10535. He also was active as a member of the Elkhorn Valley Golf Club. He was a past member of the Hooper and Logan View School Boards and the Nebraska Rural Mail Carriers Association.

Medals, Awards & Badges

Medal of Honor *
Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
American Theater Campaign Medal
European, African, Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Silver Service Star, 2 Bronze Service Stars, and Bronze Arrowhead Device
World War II Victory Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge

He also received the French Fourragere and Honorable Service Lapel Button-WWII.

* Medal of Honor

Seeking to correct potential acts of bias spanning three wars, and following a Congressionally-mandated review to ensure that eligible veterans were not bypassed due to prejudice, the Medal of Honor will be awarded to 24 Army veterans. The unusual mass ceremony, scheduled for 18 March 2014, will honor veterans, most of Hispanic or Jewish heritage, who had already received the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second-highest military award for valor. Only three of the recipients are living.

The Army conducted the review under a directive from Congress in the 2002 National Defense Authorization Act. The law required that the record of each Jewish American and Hispanic American veteran who received a Distinguished Service Cross, during or after World War II, be reviewed for possible upgrade to the Medal of Honor.

The Army reviewed the cases of the 6,505 recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross from World War II, Korea and Vietnam, and found an eligible pool of 600 soldiers who may have been Jewish or Hispanic. The Army also worked with the National Museum of American Jewish Military History, the Jewish War Veterans of the USA and the American GI Forum, the largest Hispanic-American veterans group, to pinpoint potential medal recipients. Of the 24, seven fought in World War II, nine in the Korean War, and eight in the Vietnam War.

Since the award of the Medal of Honor is an upgrade to the Distinguished Service Cross already received by 1LT Schwab, it is based on the valorous actions in the Citation for his DSC.

Synopsis of Distinguished Service Cross Citation:

First Lieutenant (Infantry) Donald K. Schwab, United States Army, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with Company E, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, in action against enemy forces on 17 September 1944. First Lieutenant Schwab's intrepid actions, personal bravery and zealous devotion to duty exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, the 3d Infantry Division, and the United States Army.

Death and Burial

1LT Donald Kenneth Schwab died at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE, on 19 February 2005. he is buried at Hooper Cemetery in Hooper, Dodge County, NE.