Manuel V. Mendoza
Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army
Medal of Honor Recipient, World War II

Manuel V. Mendoza was born in Miami, AZ, on 15 June 15 1922. He entered the U.S. Army at Fort MacArthur, CA, in November 1942.

On 4 October 1944, then-Staff Sergeant Manuel V. Mendoza is credited with single-handedly breaking up a German counterattack in Mt. Battaglia, Italy, while serving with Company B, 350th Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division. While wounded, he grabbed a submachine gun, crested a hill and fired on 200 heavily armed enemy troops who were charging the hill from the other side, killing 30 of them. After the enemy withdrew, he retrieved many enemy weapons, captured a wounded enemy soldier and returned to a friendly position. Mendoza was nicknamed the 'Arizona Kid' for his actions in combat.

Post-Military Life

Following his Army career, Mendoza found employment as a foreman at one of the largest nuclear plants in the country. He passed away at age 79.

Medals, Awards & Badges

Medal of Honor *
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Army Good Conduct Medal
American Theater Campaign Medal
European, African, Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 2 Bronze Service Stars
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal with Silver Service Star
Presidential Unit Citation with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Italian Cross for Merit of War Unit Citation
Combat Infantryman Badge (Second Award)

He also received the Honorable Service Lapel Button - World War II.

* 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 MSG Mendoza, it is based on the valorous actions in the Citation for his DSC.

Distinguished Service Cross Citation:

Staff Sgt. Manuel V. Mendoza distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Platoon Sergeant with Company B, 250th Infantry, 88th Infantry Division, during combat operations against an armed enemy, on Mt. Battaglia, Italy, Oct. 4, 1944.

That afternoon, the enemy launched a violent counterattack preceded by a heavy mortar barrage. Mendoza, already wounded in the arm and leg, grabbed a Thompson sub-machine-gun and ran to the crest of the hill, where he saw approximately 200 enemy troops charging up the slopes employing flame-throwers, machine pistols, rifles, and hand grenades. Mendoza immediately began to engage the enemy, firing five clips and killing ten enemy soldiers. After exhausting his ammunition, he picked up a carbine and emptied its magazine at the enemy. By that time, an enemy soldier with a flame thrower had almost reached the crest, but was quickly eliminated as Mendoza drew his pistol and fired. Seeing that the enemy force continued to advance, Mendoza jumped into a machine-gun emplacement that had just been abandoned and opened fire. Unable to engage the entire enemy force from his location, he picked up the machine-gun and moved forward, firing from his hip and spraying a withering hail of bullets into the oncoming enemy, causing them to break into confusion. He then set the machine-gun on the ground and continued to fire until the gun jammed. Without hesitating, Mendoza began throwing hand grenades at the enemy, causing them to flee. After the enemy had withdrawn, he advanced down the forward slope of the hill, retrieved numerous enemy weapons scattered about the area, captured a wounded enemy soldier, and returned to the consolidated friendly positions with all available men. Mendoza’s gallant stand resulted in thirty German soldiers killed, and the successful defense of the hill. Mendoza’s extraordinary heroism and selflessness, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service, and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.