The patriotic hardfuck you're looking at is Maurice Lee Britt, also known as "Footsie". Born in Carlisle, Arkansas in 1919, he achieved many accomplishments through out his early years, earning athletic scholarships for basketball and football, an Army Reserve commission and even played for the Detroit Lions in the 1941 season.
Britt entered active duty in December 1941 and by 1943, he had seen action in North Africa, Sicily and Italy.
On September 22 of that year, he led an assault on Acerno, Italy and single handedly destroyed an enemy machine gun position; earning him the Silver Star and his first of four Purple Hearts. A month later, Britt led his men in the river crossing on the Volturno River, killing Germans there as well, earning him the Bronze Star Medal with "V" device.
On November 10, he repelled a bitter counterattack by approximately 100 Germans. During the intense fire fight, a bullet pierced his side; his chest, face, and hands were covered with shrapnel. Despite his wounds, he personally killed 5 and wounded an unknown number of Germans, wiped out one enemy machinegun crew and threw 32 grenades. His actions also enabled several captured Americans to escape. For his actions on that day, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, the British Military Cross, the Italian Military Medal for Valor, and a battlefield promotion to captain.
If that wasn't enough, Capt. Britt led his men during the beach assault at Anzio in 1944. On January 23, in one instance, he did calisthenics in order to get a hidden German machine gun position to expose itself so it could be destroyed.
His actions on January 22 and 23, also resulting in loosing part of his right arm at Anzio, earned him the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism.
He became the first recipient of the top 4 combat decorations for valor awarded to an infantryman by the US Army during World War II and during the Sicily campaign, his battalion executed one of the longest foot marches in modern military history, from near Gela northward to Palermo; marching a total of 54 miles in only 33 hours. #stayzero