On July 7, 1944, Capt. Ben. L. Salomon was a dentist in the Army Dental Corps on the island of Saipan when the Japanese attacked and over ran his camp.
In the first minutes of the attack, approximately 30 wounded soldiers walked, crawled, or were carried into Captain Salomon’s aid station, and the small tent soon filled with wounded men. He then saw a Japanese soldier bayoneting one of the wounded soldiers lying near the tent. Cpt. Salomon quickly killed the enemy soldier. Then, as he turned his attention back to the wounded, two more Japanese soldiers appeared in the front entrance of the tent. As these enemy soldiers were killed, four more crawled under the tent walls. Rushing them, Captain Salomon kicked the knife out of the hand of one, shot another, and bayoneted a third. He butted the fourth enemy soldier in the stomach and a wounded comrade then shot and killed the enemy soldier.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Captain Salomon ordered the wounded to make their way as best they could back to the regimental aid station, while he attempted to hold off the enemy until they were clear. He rushed out of the tent and manned a machinegun, slaying bodies like there was no tomorrow.
When an Army team returned to the site days later, Salomon's body was found slumped over the MG, with the bodies of 98 enemy troops piled up in front of his position. His body had 76 bullet and many bayonet wounds, up to 24 of which may have been received while he was still alive.
Only in 2002, President George W. Bush, finally awarded Ben with the Medal of Honor (posthumously) after a long battle of red tape and politics dating back to 1944. Apparently, the Army didn’t want to award him the medal because Ben was technically a “non-combatant”.
Salomon's Medal of Honor is displayed at the USC Dental School
He is one of only three dental officers in history to have received the medal. #stayzero #fillsandbodybags