On Oct. 30th, 1944 a unit from the 3rd infantry division began to take significant causalities during an attack by the Germans in the Vosges Mountains losing 55 of its 88 men. Amongst the living, was then Pvt, Wilburn K. Ross who set up his light machine gun and began to engage the enemy. He was an open target for German marksmen and artillery fire, yet he held steady, carrying on what was virtually a one-man battle.
Wave after wave, German soldiers attacked Sgt. Ross’s position, yet he managed to repel successive counterattacks with well-aimed machine-gun fire for over 36 hours. He killed or wounded at least 58 German soldiers and saved the remnants of his company from destruction. He stayed by his gun through that night and next day, preparing for a possible return by enemy forces, but after 36 hours, it was clear that the Germans had abandoned the field. In April 1945, Pvt. Ross was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Sgt. Ross emerged from the battle unscathed.
“I was a lucky guy all the way through, because they got awful close to me.” #stayzero #zerofoxtrot #ww2 #hero #badass