- Harvey Possinger
Infobox Military Person
name= Harvey Possinger
born= birth date|1921|1|1
died= death date and age|2006|5|25|1921|1|1
placeofbirth=Akron, Ohio
placeofdeath=Scranton, Pennsylvania
caption=
nickname=
allegiance= flagicon|United States United States of America
branch=United States Army
serviceyears= 1942-1945
rank= Technician Fourth Grade
commands=
unit= B Company, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Division
battles= Guadalcanal, Northern Solomons, Philippines
awards= Distinguished Service Cross
laterwork=
portrayedby=Harvey Possinger is one of the most highly decorated veterans of
World War II . He received every medal for valor in combat except for theMedal of Honor which was promised to him by Gen.Douglas MacArthur . Unfortunately, his paperwork was lost and he never received the medal.Drafted in April 1942, he was able to skip basic training due to civilian military training and left the
Continental United States in May. Possinger was assigned to B Company, 35th Infantry Regiment, of the 25th Infantry Division.The 25th Infantry was called into Guadalcanal to relieve the 1st Marine Division in November. Possinger, along with the rest of his unit, arrived at Guadalcanal on
17 December 1942 . After weeks of heavy fighting, the island was secure. This was the first major victory for American forces and the first piece of real estate the U.S. took back from Japan.The next mission for the 35th Infantry (dubbed “The Cacti”) was to seize and secure the island of
Vella Lavella in theNorthern Solomons . They made their assault on the island on15 August ,1943 and had it secure by18 September of the same year. Possinger was wounded three times on Vella Lavalla and was awarded the Bronze Star for his heroic actions throughout the campaign in the Northern Solomons.Next up was the island of
Luzon in thePhilippines . Possinger was hit in the left arm and onMarch 8 ,1945 he was wounded for the fifth and final time; this time he took a bullet to the chest atBelete Pass . He was hit trying to save his buddies who were ambushed. They sent Possinger home after that, saying it was because he was to receive the Medal of Honor.Awards and decorations
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Distinguished Service Cross Citation
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
