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THE US HELMET HERO

On July 28, 1943, Leonard DeWitt stopped the enemy from overtaking the Allied company position at great risk to himself.
He has earned the title the
U.S. HELMET HERO.

SO WHY THE HELMET?

After Leonard ran out of ammo, engaged in hand to hand combat.
Then as the final attempt, he threw his helmet at the enemy.
The enemy may have thought it was a satchel charge, and fled.

Distinguished Service Cross

After WW 2, Dewitt served with distinction in the military. Years later, historians opened the case of the Papa New Guinea “Helmet Case”. It’s felt there may have been a prejudicial decision by Gen. Douglas MacArthur to award a DSC instead of a Medal of Honor.
There is an effort underway to correct this.

The Helmet Hero

Leonard DeWitt

This interview was recorded and broadcast on McMinnville, Oregon Radio station KLYC. It is an interview with Leonard and his wife. Leonard in his own words described the actions he took which resulted in a RECOMENDATION for the Medal of Honor. The nation’s highest military honor.

The decoration was later downgraded to a Distinguished Service Cross. USA HEARTBEAT and OPERATION EAGLES WINGS have been engaged in efforts for the last decade to get this DSC upgraded to a Medal of Honor.

We have promised to continue this effort.

This is a story from Oregon Live.com of an effort in 2012 to get Leonard his Medal of Honor. (click this link) DeWitt was in failing health by this time, and there was a push to get the medal upgrade while he was still alive. Sadly, after Leonard passed, the interest to push the matter has waned.

Also, the Army Military Honors Division is hesitant to change the award status without “new evidence”. That “new evidence is going to be very hard to obtain due to the passage of time.

None the less, when you read the accounts of Leonard DeWitt, we believe it passes the test and will do our best to keep this issue alive.

The fact Leonard DeWitt is no longer alive, doesn’t matter. He was specifically recomended by theater commanders for the Medal of Honor specifically. We believe there is evidence General Douglas MacArthur held up decorations for National Guard Units because they were not regular army.

We are not giving up.

Have a comment. Let’s hear it.






    OEW-narrative-to-support-MOH-upgrade_merged
    nEVER GIVE UP

    THIS WEBSITE IS ESTABLISHED TO HONOR LEONARD DEWITT

    The Helmet Hero of the United States

    battle scenes from Papa New Guinea

    The New Guinea campaign of the Pacific War lasted from January 1942 until the end of the war in August 1945.

    Learn more

    Fredom isn’t free

    According to  military historian John Laffin, the campaign “was arguably the most arduous fought by any Allied troops during World War II“
    (quote from Wikipedia)

    The Leonard DeWitt statue

    The statue exists today in the parking lot of Oregon Mutual Insurance in McmInnville, Oregon.
    The statue was crafted by Chad Caswell of Troutdale, Oregon

    Learn more about Chad’s story
    thousand
    military deaths in WW2
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    civilian deaths
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    Allied soldiers died during Papa New Guinea compaign
    thousand
    Japanese soldiers killed in WW2 Papa New Guinea.

    achievement

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    Just send us an email. This site is maintained by Operation Eagles Wings, which is an outreach of USA HEARTBEAT, INC a 501C3 non profit based in Chattanooga, Tennessee

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