Melvin O. Handrich
United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
Died when: 31 years 212 days (379 months)Star Sign: Aquarius
Melvin O.Handrich (January 26, 1919 – August 26, 1950) was a soldier in the U.S.Army during both World War II and the Korean War.
He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions on August 25 and 26, 1950, during the Battle of Battle Mountain, part of the Battle of Pusan Perimeter.
He is buried at Little Wolf Cemetery in Manawa, Waupaca County, Wisconsin.Handrich first entered the Army in August 1942.He was a member of 1st Company, 2d Regiment (1-2), First Special Service Force (FSSF) ("The Devil's Brigade") and later Company I, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division.
He participated in the recapture of Kiska (August 15, 1943), part of the Aleutian Islands Campaign, and saw action in Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany.
Wounded three times, he received the Purple Heart with two oak leaf clusters.Other World War II awards included the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Bronze Star Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one bronze campaign star, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with arrowhead device and one silver and one bronze campaign star.
He was discharged from the Army in September 1945.He re-enlisted in January 1949 and was sent to the Far East command in March 1949.
The Medal of Honor was presented to Handrich's father by General of the Army Omar N.Bradley at a Pentagon ceremony on June 21, 1951.
On August 4, 1969, the 83d Ordnance Battalion compound at Anyang-ni was named Camp Handrich in his honor.
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