Herbert F. Christian
Herbert F. Christian (June 18, 1912 – June 3, 1944) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II. Christian was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for sacrificing himself by drawing German fire during the advance on Rome in order to allow his patrol to escape an ambush. Biography Christian was born on June 18, 1912, in Byesville, Ohio, the son of John G. Christian and Nellie Arthurs. He was a former inmate of the Ohio Boys' Industrial School, a reform school. Christian, then a truck driver, married saleswoman Katherine Hoffman on 27 January 1939, and had a son with her in 1940. He subsequently worked as an insurance salesman in Canton, Ohio. Christian was drafted into the Army under Selective Service from Steubenville, Ohio in November 1942, and by June 1944 he was serving as a private in the Company E of the 15th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. With a patrol from the company, Christian moved out to cross Highway 6 near Valmontone and conduct a reconnaissance of the surroundings at 23:00 on June 2 during the advance on