Benjamin Kaufman
Medal of Honor Winner
Ben Kaufman, a Buffalo native, who made his permanent home
Trenton, attended Syracuse University, when President Woodrow Wilson declared
war on the Axis powers.
Ben signed up tight away abandoning his scholarship to
fight for his country.
He became a non-commissioned officer, Sergeant of
a company very appreciative soldiers in Company K, 308th
Division.
On October 4, 1918, Ben, recovering from a field hospital
from a blinding by gas, escaped from the field hospital to re-join and to lead
his company.
Turning down two offers as a Commissioned Officer, Ben like
the camaraderie of his own unit.
On October 4, 1918, Ben experienced the gruesome
shooting of two of his company privates get shot right near him by a
lethal machine gun nest, so terrible in World War 1. He ran towards the machine
gunners, threw a grenade to quell the machine gun antagonistic barrage. In
doing so, his right arm newly shattered with a bullet wound. Nevertheless, he
killed two of the gunnery force, chased several others , and with his gun
poised, chased another to his own lines. To the shock of his superiors,
his gun had emptied. So he captured a prisoner with an empty weapon. After
reaching American lines, he fainted from loss of blood and battle shock.
For abandoning the field hospital, Ben initially was
charged with AWOL. However, upon reconsideration, seeing his bravery and
dedication to his company, the brass awarded him with the Congressional Medal
of Honor. Indeed, nine other nations joined in awarding him highest military
honors. Such was the valor of this young Jewish soldier.
Benjamin Kaufman
Date of birth: March 10, 1894
Date of death: February 05, 1981
Burial location: Trenton, New Jersey
Place of Birth: New York, Buffalo
Date of death: February 05, 1981
Burial location: Trenton, New Jersey
Place of Birth: New York, Buffalo
AWARDS AND CITATIONS
Medal of Honor
CITATION
He
took out a patrol for the purpose of attacking an enemy machine gun which had
checked the advance of the company. Before reaching the gun, he became
separated from
the patrol and a machine gun bullet shattered his right arm.
Without hesitation, he
advanced on the gun alone, throwing grenades with his
left hand and charging with an
empty pistol, taking one prisoner and scattering
the crew, bringing the gun and prisoner
back to the first-aid station.
After
the war, he became active in the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of
America, serving as national commander in 1941 - 1942. The Ben Kaufman Post 156
of the JWV in Trenton, New Jersey, is a living memorial to a man who always had
a smile on his face even when the going was rough.
Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 50 (April 12, 1919)
Action Date: 4-Oct-18
Service: Army
Rank: First Sergeant
Company: Company K
Regiment: 308th Infantry
Division: 77th Division
