Serbian/American heroes

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Lance Sijan


Lance Peter Sijan (Serbian: Ленс Шијан) (April 13, 1942 – January 22, 1968) was a United States Air Force officer and fighter pilot. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military award, for his selflessness and courage in the face of lethal danger.
Biography
On his 52nd mission, on the night of November 9, 1967, Sijan and pilot Lt. Col. John Armstrong were tasked with a bombing mission over North Vietnam. As they rolled in on their target to release their ordnance, their F-4C was engulfed in a ball of fire, due to the six bomb's fairly new fuses which malfunctioned causing a pre-mature detonation soon after the release point. The jet then entered a banking climb before plunging into the jungle below. Sijan ejected from his aircraft, and a search-and-rescue crew, radioed to Sijan that they were attempting a rescue. After almost a whole day of locating his position and softening up air defences in the area, the SAR forces were finally able to get one of the big Jolly Green Giant helicopters roughly over Sijan's position (during this operation over 20 aircraft were disabled, due to the anti-aircraft fire, and had to return to base. Another aircraft was also shot down, though its pilot was rescued with ease by one of the Jolly Greens on station.) Sijan, refusing to put another person in danger, insisted that he crawl in to the jungle and have a penetrator lowered by the helicopter, instead of sending down the helicopter's Para-Jumpers to carry him. However, he couldn't reach the penetrator quick enough, and after 33 minutes the rescue team, which faced enemy fire and the growing darkness, had to return to base. Although search efforts continued the next day, they were called off when no further radio contact was made with Sijan, due to his unconscious state, and he was placed in MIA status.

With a fractured skull, mangled right hand, compound fracture of the left leg, without food and little water, and no survival kit, Sijan evaded enemy forces for 46 days (all the time "crawling" or rather scooting on his back down the rocky limestone karst on which he landed, causing even more wounds) before being captured on December 25, 1967. Although emaciated and in poor shape, he managed to overpower his guard and escape, but was recaptured within hours. He was transported to a holding compound in Vinh, North Vietnam, where he was put into the care of other American POWs, Bob Craner and Guy Gruters. Here, in even more pain from his wounds, he suffered beatings from his captors, but never gave any information other than what the Geneva Convention allowed. After further travel to Hanoi, Sijan suffering from exhaustion, malnutrition, and disease, died in captivity on January 22, 1968.

Sijan was promoted posthumously to captain on June 13, 1968. His remains were repatriated on March 13, 1974 and positively identified on April 22, 1974. He is buried in Arlington Park Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Other honors
Sijan's heroism and courage brought him a number of posthumous honors. The Air Force created the Lance P. Sijan Award, recognizing individuals who have demonstrated the highest qualities of leadership in their jobs and in their lives. It has become one of the U.S. Air Force's most prestigious awards.

Because Sijan was the first graduate of the United States Air Force Academy to be awarded the Medal of Honor, a cadet dormitory, Sijan Hall was named after him. The dormitory was dedicated on Memorial Day, 1976. As part of their training, all fourth-class (freshman) cadets at the Air Force Academy are expected to learn Sijan's story.

Sijan's high school alma mater, Bay View High School in Milwaukee, set up a scholarship in Sijan's honor, presented each year to a student who best exemplifies Sijan's examples of leadership and courage. A nearby park called Sijan Playfield is dedicated to him, and Milwaukee's Serbian community honors him with a memorial on the grounds of the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral. An F-4 Phantom jet fighter on display in front of the 440th Air Force Reserve at Mitchell Airport is also painted using the same color scheme as the one flown by him.

In June, 2006, before the 440th Airlift Wing was relocated to Pope AFB in North Carolina, there were calls to move the F-4 Phantom jet fighter display from Mitchell International Airport to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Lake Michigan lake front. Currently, the display continues to be housed at Mitchell until more permanent plans have been made.
The Lance Sijan Memorial Site at Arlington Park Cemetery

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Mitchell Paige


Mitchell Paige (August 31, 1918–November 15, 2003) was a recipient of the Medal of Honor from World War II. He received this most prestigious military honor awarded by the United States of America for his actions at the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands on October 26, 1942, where, after all of the other Marines in his platoon were killed or wounded, he operated four machine guns, singlehandedly stopping an entire Japanese regiment.

Biography
Mitchell was born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. His parents were Serb immigrants who arrived in the USA from the Military Frontier, their last name being Pejić. His mother kept him and his brother in touch with their roots, reminding them of the Battle of Kosovo, but also told them to be proud Americans.

In the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, on October 26, 1942, while a platoon Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, he held his line against advancing Japanese forces even after all of his comrades had been killed or wounded. After reinforcements arrived, Paige led a counterattack against the Japanese, which successfully repelled the enemy forces and held the American line. While on Guadalcanal he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the field on December 19, 1942. General Alexander Vandegrift presented Paige with the Medal of Honor in a special ceremony in Balcombe, Australia, on May 21, 1943 for his actions. Paige later served in the Korean War, retiring from active duty in 1959.

Among his numerous military decorations were: the Medal of Honor, the Purple Heart, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Good Conduct Medal, the China Service Medal, the American Defense Service Medal with Base clasp, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two bronze stars, the American Campaign Medal, the Victory Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the Marine Corps Reserve Ribbon, and the United Nations Service Medal.

Paige retired in 1959 with the rank of Colonel. In retirement, Paige wrote a book about his experiences titled A Marine Named Mitch (published in 1975). In his later years, he served to ferret out imposters wearing or selling the Medal of Honor.

On November 15, 2003, Colonel Paige died of congestive heart failure at his home in La Quinta, California at the age of 85. He was the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient of the Guadalcanal campaign. He was buried with full military honors at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.

Non-military awards and recognitions
Paige was awarded the Eagle Scout award by the Boy Scouts of America on March 24, 2003; which he had earned in 1936,his last year in high school, but had never been presented because he had left home to join the Marine Corps. He is one of only seven known Eagle Scouts who also received the Medal of Honor. The others are Aquilla J. Dyess (USMC), Robert Edward Femoyer (U.S. Army Air Corps), Eugene B. Fluckey (USN), Benjamin L. Salomon (USA), Leo K. Thorsness (USAF), Jay Zeamer, Jr. (USAAF). Paige is also a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America.

Namesake
    * Served as the model for a G.I. Joe action figure — the Marine Corps figure in a series honoring Medal of Honor recipients from each branch of the U.S. military.

    * On May 2, 2006, the Board of Education of Desert Sands Unified School District in a unanimous decision decided to honor Col. Paige when naming its newest school — the "Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle School".Col. Mitchell Paige Middle School opened the Fall of 2006 in La Quinta, California.

    * There is a museum on the 29 Palms Marine Corps base dedicated to him.

Medal of Honor citation
             The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to
                                        PLATOON SERGEANT MITCHELL PAIGE

                                              UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

                                    for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division, in combat against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands Area on October 26, 1942. When the enemy broke through the line directly in front of his position, Platoon Sergeant Paige, commanding a machine-gun section with fearless determination, continued to direct the fire of his gunners until all his men were either killed or wounded. Alone, against the deadly hail of Japanese shells, he manned his gun, and when it was destroyed, took over another, moving from gun to gun, never ceasing his withering fire against the advancing hordes until reinforcements finally arrived. Then, forming a new line, he dauntlessly and aggressively led a bayonet charge, driving the enemy back and preventing a break through in our lines. His great personal valor and unyielding devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

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Jake Allex



Jake Allex, born Jake Allex Mandusich (Serbian: Алекса Мандушић) in Prizren, Serbia (July 13, 1887–August 28, 1959) was an American soldier of ethnic Serbian descent who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in the U.S. Army during World War I.

Military service

Allex entered the US Army in Chicago, Illinois, and returned there following the World War I, with the rank of Sergeant. While in the Army he served in Company H, 131st Infantry, 33rd Infantry Division. On August 9, 1918, near Chipilly Ridge, France, when finding all of their officers either wounded or killed and his platoon under heavy attack from the opposing German forces, Allex, a Corporal, took command. Leading his platoon forward toward the machine gun nest, his platoon was able to overwhelm the opposition. Allex alone killed five enemy soldiers, and when his bayonet broke, he used the butt of his rifle in close quarters combat, taking fifteen German prisoners.

Little is known about his life following the First World War.

He died August 28, 1959 in a Veterans Administration hospital in Chicago.He was buried in Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Saint Sava cemetery in Libertyville, Illinois.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company H, 131st Infantry, 33d Division. Place and date: At Chipilly Ridge, France, August 9, 1918. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Born: July 13, 1887, Prizren, Serbia. G.O. No.: 44, W.D., 1919.

Citation:

    At a critical point in the action, when all the officers with his platoon had become casualties, Corporal. Allex took command of the platoon and led it forward until the advance was stopped by fire from a machinegun nest. He then advanced alone for about 30 yards in the face of intense fire and attacked the nest. With his bayonet he killed 5 of the enemy, and when it was broken, used the butt of his rifle, capturing 15 prisoners.

[Djape]

Wow, and i thought all Serbs were rapists and murder's!

These people have given the greatest sacrifice for their home and country.
Its a pity that the US media chooses to spew out pro muslim/albanian and anti Serb propaganda instead of focusing on what really matters.
Not only does it cheapen the contributions made by all the heroic Serbs who stood and fought for the US throughout history.
But to all service men and women who choose to fight for freedom and a noble cause.

SLAVA NJIM