"Heroism was the furthest thing from my mind that day. I was just trying to stay alive and help keep my buddies alive."
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After the U.S. entry into World War II, Ernest Childers (Muscogee Indian) was sent to Europe and by September 22, 1943, he was a second lieutenant serving with 45th Infantry Division, 180th Infantry Regiment, in Italy.
On that day, at Oliveto, Italy, he single-handedly killed two enemy snipers and one MG crew at point blank range, silenced a machine gun nest, and after he ran out of ammo, he managed to capture an artillery observer by yelling Surrender. To note that all of the above was accomplished with a broken foot.
For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, becoming the first Native American to earn the medal since the Indian Wars of the 19th century. #ww2 #stayzero #creek #hero #military #native #zerofoxtrot #badass