William F. Leonard

When his platoon was reduced to just eight surviving men under devastating enemy fire, Private First Class William F. Leonard refused to retreat. Instead, he led his fellow soldiers forward through a storm of machine-gun, mortar, artillery and rifle fire, destroying enemy positions and capturing a heavily defended roadblock. His extraordinary courage near St. Dié, France, on November 7, 1944, would ultimately earn him the United States Medal of Honor.

William F. Leonard was born on August 9, 1913, in Lockport, New York. During World War II, he served in the United States Army with Company C, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. Serving as a squad leader at the rank of Private First Class, Leonard demonstrated exceptional leadership during the Allied campaign in France.

On November 7, 1944, near St. Dié, Leonard's platoon suffered devastating casualties from intense German artillery, mortar, machine-gun and rifle fire, leaving only eight men. Leonard rallied the survivors and led an assault across a hill exposed to continuous automatic weapons fire. Despite bullets piercing his pack, he killed two enemy snipers at ranges of approximately fifty and seventy-five yards. He then destroyed a machine-gun position with grenades, killing its two-man crew. Although momentarily stunned by an exploding bazooka shell, Leonard continued his advance, neutralized a second machine-gun nest and successfully captured the roadblock objective. His Medal of Honor citation recognized his extraordinary gallantry, intrepidity and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty.

For this remarkable act of heroism, Leonard was initially recognized with the Distinguished Service Cross. Following a later review of World War II valor awards, his recognition was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. His officially recorded military awards also include the Bronze Star Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one Bronze Service Star and the World War II Victory Medal. He also earned the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Honorable Service Lapel Button for World War II. His Bronze Star Medal is confirmed in the official Army record, although a separate individual narrative citation for that award has not been located.

After returning home, Leonard resumed civilian life in Lockport. He worked in the automotive industry, spent time as a butcher and eventually retired from a radiator company. Unlike many celebrated wartime heroes, he rarely spoke about his experiences in combat, leaving much of his extraordinary wartime story to be discovered by his family and others after his death.

William F. Leonard died in Lockport, New York, on August 4, 1985, just five days before his seventy-second birthday. Nearly three decades later, his extraordinary courage received its highest recognition. On March 18, 2014, President Barack Obama posthumously presented the Medal of Honor to Leonard's daughter at the White House, ensuring that the heroism of this courageous American infantryman would receive the national recognition it deserved.

The story of William F. Leonard is a lasting testament to battlefield leadership, determination and the extraordinary courage of an ordinary soldier who refused to leave his mission unfinished.