Laszlo Rabel

He covered a grenade to save the lives of his fellow troops.

Laszlo Rabel was born in Hungary and left the country after the Soviet suppression of the 1956 uprising. He reached the United States through Austria and settled in Minnesota. He married Eva Rostas, and they had a daughter. In November 1965 he entered the United States Army.

After basic, infantry and airborne training, he served with airborne infantry and reconnaissance units. His Vietnam assignments included the 4th Battalion, 503rd Infantry, and Troop E, 17th Cavalry, of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. He subsequently became a long-range reconnaissance patrol leader in the 74th Infantry Detachment.

On 13 November 1968, Team Delta was conducting reconnaissance of enemy trail networks in Bình Định Province. While the team occupied a defensive perimeter, a patrol member detected enemy movement. As Rabel and a comrade prepared to clear the area, a grenade landed inside the perimeter. He threw himself onto it and absorbed the explosion, protecting the other members of his patrol at the cost of his own life.

His Medal of Honor was presented posthumously by President Richard Nixon on 7 April 1970. His wife and daughter received the decoration. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His Army record also recognised combat wounds and meritorious service during his Vietnam tours.

Rabel's later commemoration has emphasised both his sacrifice for his patrol and his experience as an immigrant who made a new home in the United States. Army special operations histories preserve his reconnaissance service and the circumstances of his death. A United States immigration facility was also dedicated in his memory, connecting the institution that welcomed him with the military service that followed.