Leslie Sabo Died For His Army Comrades In Vietnam War
BY SCOTT S. SMITH, FOR INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
05/22/2015 01:51 PM ET
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Sabo died in the 1970 Cambodian Incursion, and his widow received his Medal of Honor 42 years later. U.S. Army/courtesy of Rose Mary Sabo-Brown
Leslie Sabo was killed during the Vietnam War's 1970 Cambodian Campaign. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor, but the records were lost until a veteran rediscovered them in 1999. In 2012, Sabo's widow received the nation's highest military award on his behalf, the 249th for Vietnam.
Sabo's platoon and another had been ambushed from all sides by a large and well-entrenched force of communist soldiers.
He repeatedly attacked and killed enemy soldiers, was wounded by a grenade as he shielded a comrade, and then was fatally shot as he provided covering fire for a medevac helicopter.
"His indomitable courage and complete disregard for his own safety saved the lives of many of his platoon members," said the Medal of Honor citation. "Spc. 4 Sabo's extraordinary heroism and selflessness, above and beyond the call of duty, at the cost of his life, are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Company B, 3rd Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, and the United States Army."
Leslie Jr. was born in 1948 in Kufstein, Austria, where his well-to-do family had moved after the Soviet occupation of Hungary at the end of World War II, leaving almost everything behind.
They moved to America when he was 2. They lived in Youngstown, Ohio, and then Ellwood City, Pa.
Leslie Sr., a lawyer in Hungary, retrained as an engineer, and both parents taught their two remaining sons (another was killed by a bomb during the war) patriotism for their adopted country.
Sabo's Keys
Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient.
Overcame: Human instinct to avoid making the ultimate sacrifice.
Lesson: Some things can be bigger than life itself.
"Leslie Sabo's actions were outstanding, even on a day when outstanding acts of courage were almost routine," said Eric Poole, author of "Company of Heroes."
"Les was an average student, but had a lot of friends and always showed he really cared about people," his older brother, George, told IBD. "He attended Youngstown State for a couple of semesters, but his grades weren't great, so he took a break. Four months later, in April 1969, he was drafted into the Army, and while we were concerned about his safety, we were very proud that he felt he was doing his duty. Because our family had barely escaped when the Russians came into Hungary, we thought it was important that communism be kept from spreading. A lot of his buddies didn't see it that way, and there were some intense arguments about the war."
After basic training at Fort McClellan, Ala., Sabo qualified for advanced training and took leave to get married in September to Rose Mary Buccelli, whom he had met the year before.
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