Leonard M. Kravitz

Leonard M. Kravitz (1931, Brooklyn, New York – March 7, 1951) is a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions on March 6-7, 1951, in the Korean War.

Actions in the Korean War
When his unit's positions at Yangpyong were overrun by the enemy, Kravitz voluntarily manned a machine-gun position, forcing the enemy to direct its efforts against him and helping his comrades to retreat at the cost of his own life.

He was reported to have shouted to his comrades, "Get the hell out of here while you can!" When American troops retook their position, they found that Kravitz had killed a large number of enemy soldiers before dying in action.

Medal of Honor
Kravitz was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama in a March 18, 2014, ceremony in the White House. The award was made as a result of the Defense Authorization Act, which called for a review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War to ensure that no prejudice was shown to those deserving the Medal of Honor.

The re-examination of the Medal of Honor process was pursued for over half a century by Mitchell Libman, who was Kravitz's childhood friend from Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Libman's research led him to conclude that a number of Jewish recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross should have been nominated for the Medal of Honor instead. After decades of lobbying, Libman convinced Representative Robert Wexler to propose the "Leonard Kravitz Jewish War Veterans Act of 2001". The legislation was ultimately not adopted, but its consideration led Congress to direct the armed forces to re-examine past practices in selecting Medal of Honor recipients. When the decision was made in 2012 to award the Medal of Honor to Kravitz, President Obama phoned Libman personally to inform him.

Citation

 * The President of the United States of America, under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved, July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Pfc. Leonard M. Kravitz, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations, while serving with Company M, 3d Battalion, 5th Regimental Combat Team, attached to the 24th Infantry Division.


 * Kravitz distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the Republic of Korea near Yangpyong, Korea, March 6-7, 1951. On that date, Kravitz, an assistant machine-gunner attached to Company L, was in a defensive position on strategic key terrain. After the friendly elements had repulsed two earlier probing attacks, the enemy launched a fanatical banzai charge with heavy supporting fire and, despite staggering losses, pressed the assault with ruthless determination. When the machine-gunner was wounded in the initial phase of action, Kravitz immediately seized the weapon and poured devastating fire into the ranks of the onrushing assailants. The enemy effected and exploited a breach on the left flank, rendering the friendly positions untenable. Upon order to withdraw, Kravitz voluntarily remained to provide protective fire for the retiring elements. Traversing the gun to the left to cover the infiltrating enemy and ignoring the pleadings of his comrades to fall back, he fearlessly maintained his position. Detecting a column of Communist troops moving toward friendly positions, he swept the hostile soldiers with deadly, accurate fire, killing the entire group. His destructive retaliation caused the enemy to concentrate vicious fire on his position and enabled the friendly elements to effect a withdrawal. After the strong point was re-secured, Kravitz' body was found lying beside the gun he had so heroically manned, and numerous enemy dead lay in and around his emplacement. Kravitz' incredible display of valor set an inspiring example for his comrades. His unflinching courage and consummate devotion to duty reflect the highest credit on himself and uphold the finest traditions of the military service.

Service awards
Kravitz received the following awards for his military service:


 * Medal of Honor
 * Purple Heart
 * National Defense Service Medal
 * Korean Service Medal with one Bronze Service Star
 * United Nations Service Medal
 * Combat Infantryman Badge
 * Republic of Korea Korean War Service Medal
 * Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.

Family
Kravitz is the uncle and namesake of musician Lenny Kravitz. The musician's father, filmmaker and TV producer Sy Kravitz, was Kravitz's older brother.