Original U.S. WWII 82nd Airborne Division Government Reissue Bronze Star Medal with OLC to Medal of Honor Recipient Leonard Alfred Funk Jr., 508th PIR - Most Decorated Paratrooper of WWII

Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is the tremendous Bronze Star Medal of First Sergeant Leonard Alfred Funk Jr., 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions on January 29th, 1945. This medal is a government re-issue, likely issued to Funk in the late 1970s or 1980s.

Funk’s MOH Citation reads:

He distinguished himself by gallant, intrepid actions against the enemy. After advancing 15 miles in a driving snowstorm, the American force prepared to attack through waist-deep drifts. The company executive officer became a casualty, and 1st Sgt. Funk immediately assumed his duties, forming headquarters soldiers into a combat unit for an assault in the face of direct artillery shelling and harassing fire from the right flank. Under his skillful and courageous leadership, this miscellaneous group and the 3d Platoon attacked 15 houses, cleared them, and took 30 prisoners without suffering a casualty. The fierce drive of Company C quickly overran Holzheim, netting some 80 prisoners, who were placed under a 4-man guard, all that could be spared, while the rest of the understrength unit went about mopping up isolated points of resistance. An enemy patrol, by means of a ruse, succeeded in capturing the guards and freeing the prisoners, and had begun preparations to attack Company C from the rear when 1st Sgt. Funk walked around the building and into their midst. He was ordered to surrender by a German officer who pushed a machine pistol into his stomach. Although overwhelmingly outnumbered and facing almost certain death, 1st Sgt. Funk, pretending to comply with the order, began slowly to unsling his submachine gun from his shoulder and then, with lightning motion, brought the muzzle into line and riddled the German officer. He turned upon the other Germans, firing and shouting to the other Americans to seize the enemy's weapons. In the ensuing fight 21 Germans were killed, many wounded, and the remainder captured. 1st Sgt. Funk's bold action and heroic disregard for his own safety were directly responsible for the recapture of a vastly superior enemy force, which, if allowed to remain free, could have taken the widespread units of Company C by surprise and endangered the entire attack plan.

The medal comes with a packet of research information on Funk. This is one of the most tremendous medals we have ever offered, identified to the most decorated paratrooper of World War II. Comes ready for further research and display!