Better Late Than Never
by admin on Jul.03, 2009, under Historical Heroes
In a ceremony yesterday, Dee Eberhart (84) was awarded numerous medals that he earned in WWII for his brave actions while in service. During his time in Germany, he also witnessed the Dachau Death Train incident.
A 1943 graduate of Toppenish High School, he (Eberhart) served as a first scout in I Company of the 242nd Infantry Regiment of the famed 42nd Rainbow Division, landing in Marseilles in December 1944 and fighting his way through France and Germany along the Maginot and Siegfried lines.
“I always went first,” he says. “It was the loneliest job in the world.”
Some of the units he served with suffered casualties of 80 percent or more. And while there were many close calls, he was never wounded.
“Everybody else was picked off around me,” he says. “You wonder about survival. I just chalk it up to luck. That’s all it is: bad luck or good luck.”
Toting a 9-pound M1 Garand rifle, Eberhart conducted patrols behind enemy lines, dug foxholes, and dodged shrapnel, explosions and artillery fire.
Dee Eberhart certainly was a hero and his actions in WWII commendable. The medals awarded to him are:
* Bronze Star
* Combat Infantryman Badge First Award
* European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
* Good Conduct Medal
* American Campaign Medal
* World War II Victory Medal
* Honorable Service Lapel Button
* Expert Badge with carbine and rifle bars
