Robert Maxwell, WWII Medal of Honor Recipient

Robert D. Maxwell recently turned 90 years old, but in fact he selflessly gave his life on September 7, 1944 in a farmhouse in Southern France. An American Command Post had been set up in the house, and Maxwell was standing guard that evening. The Germans opened fire and he could see them advancing, trying to launch grenades at the house to kill the American Officers inside. Maxwell and three other soldiers tried to defend themselves armed only with pistols, and finally one of the grenades managed to clear the fence that had been set up around the house, landing just outside the doorway. Maxwell ran over to toss it away, but there wasn't enough time. Thinking only of saving his comerades, he threw himself on the grenade, his body absorbing the blast. Although permanently injured, somehow Maxwell survived. He received our Nation's highest military honor on May 12, 1945. He is one of only 16 Medal of Honor recipients from World War II still living.