Filmmaker and critic Daniel M. Cohen provides a riveting account of one of the most courageous heroes of the Korean War. What makes this book so different from many biographies of war heroes is that Tibor “Teddy” Rubin was not an American citizen when he enlisted to fight in Korea; rather, Tibor was a survivor of Mauthausen, where he spent fourteen months working as a slave laborer. Together with his brother Emery, he was liberated by General Patton’s 11th Armored Division. When the American army found Tibor, they found him racked with fever, dehydrated, emaciated, and delirious. Army nurses hooked him up to an intravenous bottle, and gradually he was brought back to health. Tibor, like numerous other victims of the Nazis, was moved to a DP camp and was subsequently was able to migrate to the United States, penniless, without any understanding of English, and grateful that he was able survive the horrors of the Holocaust.
Tibor Rubin was born to an Orthodox Jewish family in Hungary. His parents and a sister were murdered by the Nazis and he survived along with his brother, half-brother and two sisters. As a teenager thrust into the hell of Mauthausen, Tibor survived with wit, cunning, and an ability to make the best of the worst conditions. When he was liberated, Tibor was extremely grateful to the United States for saving his life and the remnants of his family. It was this gratitude that led him to volunteer to fight in Korea though he was not a citizen and could barely read English.
Cohen describes the hardships that Tibor faced as a Jew in the military. His sergeant, a “redneck,” hated Jews and not only made life miserable for Tibor, but once in Korea, singled Tibor out for the most dangerous missions. It became obvious to many of Tibor’s fellow soldiers that the Sergeant’s animus towards him was so intense that he was sending him into harm’s way to be killed. Tibor, however, had grit and courage and did not complain about his maltreatment. What followed was a series of acts that would at the age of 76 earn him the Medal of Honor.
As Tibor’s unit was pulling out from a hill under fire from the enemy, his sergeant left him alone to protect the hill until reinforcements returned. Left alone, Tibor single-handedly defended the hill against an onslaught of enemy soldiers, killing hundreds in the process. Tibor’s action so impressed the unit’s commanding officer that he immediately recommended Tibor for the Medal of Honor and ordered his sergeant to do the paperwork. The anti-Semitic sergeant never followed the order, and the commanding officer was killed in action. Subsequently, Tibor braved sniper fire to save a wounded comrade, and commandeered a machine gun after its crew was killed, proceeding to fire at the enemy, killing many North Korean soldiers. Tibor also captured several hundred North Korean soldiers before he was eventually caught and held captive by the Chinese for two-and-a-half years. As a POW, Tibor used his experience at Mauthausen to help fellow GI’s to survive, including stealing food from the enemy to provide food for his fellow prisoners.
Tibor returned to the United States in 1953 following a prisoner exchange with the Chinese. Tibor would eventually marry and raise children, but rarely talked about his experiences in Korea. When a number of his fellow soldiers learned that Tibor was alive and had not earned the Medal of Honor, they enlisted the aid of Tibor’s comrades, politicians, and Jewish organizations to help him receive the Medal of Honor.
Cohen describes in detail the “red-tape,” the anti-Semitism and the resistance of the army bureaucracy in thwarting Tibor from receiving the medal. In 2005 Tibor was invited to the White House to be honored by President George W. Bush for valor that “went beyond the call of duty.” Tibor will always remain the only survivor of the Holocaust to receive the Medal of Honor.
