David Crowder Waybur

On a moonlit road near Agrigento, Sicily, First Lieutenant David Crowder Waybur faced four enemy tanks with his reconnaissance patrol cut off, ammunition exhausted, and himself seriously wounded. Rather than retreat, he stood directly in the line of enemy fire and attacked the leading tank with a Thompson submachine gun. His extraordinary courage helped save his men and earned him the Medal of Honor, the highest decoration of the United States military.

Born in Oakland, California, in 1919 and associated with nearby Piedmont, David C. Waybur enlisted in the United States Army in 1940. He served with the 11th Cavalry before becoming a First Lieutenant commanding a reconnaissance platoon in the 3rd Reconnaissance Troop, 3rd Infantry Division.

During the Allied invasion of Sicily, on 17 July 1943, Waybur volunteered to lead a three-vehicle patrol into enemy-held territory to locate an isolated Ranger unit. The patrol reached a demolished bridge and was cut off by four enemy tanks. Despite being seriously wounded and running out of ammunition, Waybur organized the defence, engaged the leading tank at close range and caused it to crash into the stream bed. He then rallied his remaining men and held their position until assistance arrived the following morning. For this action, he received the Medal of Honor under War Department General Orders No. 69, dated 21 October 1943. General Mark W. Clark presented the medal at Fifth Army headquarters on 29 November 1943.

Waybur returned to combat after recovering from his wounds and received the Silver Star for gallantry in action near Marzanella, Italy, on 28 October 1943, under Headquarters, Fifth U.S. Army, General Orders No. 103 (1945). A family-linked account published in The New Yorker in 1988 described him as having received three Purple Hearts, represented by two bronze oak-leaf clusters. The same account also reported a British Military Cross and a French Croix de Guerre with Palm, although individual official award records remain outstanding.

After being wounded again, Waybur was evacuated to Letterman General Hospital in California. He subsequently served in the United States, including reported cavalry instructional duties at Fort Riley, and participated in War Bond work. Unwilling to remain away from the fighting, he requested reassignment to the European Theater and returned to combat in Germany.

In March 1945, First Lieutenant David Crowder Waybur was killed in action in Germany. A memorial account reports that he was shot by a sniper after stopping his jeep to help lead a wounded soldier to safety. He was buried at Lorraine American Cemetery in Saint-Avold, France. His life stands as a testament to reconnaissance leadership, battlefield courage and devotion to fellow soldiers.