Robert Maxwell was about a month shy of his 23rd birthday in September 1944, when he threw himself on a live hand grenade to save his fellow soldiers in an observation post in France that was under heavy attack by German forces.
Maxwell, now 96, was left with permanent injuries, and is among only four living Medal of Honor recipients from World War II.
The highest medal given for valor in combat, more than 400 of these were awarded during a war in which 16 million Americans served.
A Poplar Bluff, Mo., man has now been asked to help with a national effort to honor WWII veterans and the final Medal of Honor recipient from that time.
Paul Schuerenberg is among eight people recently named to the Missouri arm of the State Funeral For World War II Veterans organization.
This group is petitioning the president of the United States to hold a state funeral upon the death of the last Medal of Honor recipient from this time.
This is about more than honoring one man, said Schuerenberg, a Vietnam veteran who works at John J. Pershing VA Medical Center.
It is to recognize all of those who served during WWII, he said.
Several petition drives have been organized, according to Schuerenberg.
The current petition registered at www.change.org has collected more than 3,700 signatures. A goal of 5,000 signatures has been set for this petition.
A state funeral is a type of public funeral that can only be held for presidents, former presidents, president-elects and persons designated by the president.
It was granted in 1921, following World War I, for the internment at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as well as for Gen. John J. Pershing and Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
The remaining Medal of Honor recipients from WWII are Charles H. Coolidge, 95, of Tennessee, Francis S. Currey, 91, of New York, Maxwell of Oregon and Hershel W. Williams, 93, of West Virginia.
They are among only about 500,000 remaining veterans from WWII, according to the state funeral board.
Maxwell was one of four soldiers armed with .45-caliber pistols left to defend an observation post against platoon-strength enemy infantrymen.
The enemy attacked using machine guns and grenade launchers at ranges as close as 10 yards.
With calmness, tenacity and fortitude, Maxwell inspired his fellow soldiers to continue fighting against those uneven odds, according to his citation.
When a hand grenade was thrown in the midst of his squad, Maxwell "unhesitatingly hurled himself squarely upon it, using his blanket and his unprotected body to absorb the full force of the explosion."
This act saved the lives of his fellow soldiers and allowed the group to maintain communications during the temporary withdrawal of the battalion's forward headquarters, his nomination states.
Williams served as a Marine demolition sergeant, and was nominated for his actions Feb. 23, 1945, on Iwo Jima.
He advanced alone into heavy enemy fire to help clear a path for the infantry, with only the cover of four rifleman.
Williams faced a network of reinforced concrete pillboxes and buried mines.
He returned repeatedly to his own lines to prepare demolition charges and obtain serviced flamethrowers, before struggling back to the enemy line over four hours, his citation reads.
"On one occasion, he daringly mounted a pillbox to insert the nozzle of his flamethrower through the air vent, killing the occupants and silencing the gun," it says.
"His unyielding determination and extraordinary heroism in the face of ruthless enemy resistance were directly instrumental in neutralizing one of the most fanatically defended Japanese strong points encountered by his regiment," the Navy reported.
More information about these four Medal of Honor recipients can be found at https://worldwar2salute.org.
Other new Missouri members of the organization come from Jefferson City, Chesterfield, Warrensburg, Salem and Licking.