DOB/DOD: December 4, 1919 (Bridgton, ME) – July 20, 1950; 30 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
ENLISTMENT: November 13, 1945, in New Haven, Connecticut
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 3729 – Combat Construction Specialist
FAMILY: Born to Benjamin F. (1873-1947) and Blanche M. Seavey Libby (1890-1942). Two sisters, Gladys M. Libby Hillertz (1916-1979) and Madelyn E. Libby Birt (1921-2006). Half-sister Grace E. Merrifield (1890-1973).
OTHER: The first Medal of Honor recipient during the Korean War.
MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS DURING: Korean War
BRANCH OF SERVICE: Army
UNIT: Company C, 3rd Engineer Combat Battalion, 24th Infantry Division
GENERAL ORDERS: Department of the Army, General Orders No. 62 (August 2, 1951)
AGE ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT: 30
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Sergeant George Dalton Libby (ASN: 31153010), United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company C, 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, 24th Infantry Division, in action against enemy aggressor forces at Taejon, Korea, on 20 July 1950. While breaking through an enemy encirclement, the vehicle in which he was riding approached an enemy roadblock and encountered devastating fire, which disabled the truck, killing or wounding all the passengers except Sergeant Libby. Taking cover in a ditch, Sergeant Libby engaged the enemy and, despite the heavy fire, crossed the road twice to administer aid to his wounded comrades. He then hailed a passing M-5 artillery tractor and helped the wounded aboard. The enemy directed intense small-arms fire at the driver, and Sergeant Libby, realizing that no one else could operate the vehicle, placed himself between the driver and the enemy, thereby shielding him while he returned the fire. During this action, he received several wounds in the arms and body. Continuing through the town, the tractor made frequent stops, and Sergeant Libby helped more wounded aboard. Refusing first aid, he continued to shield the driver and return the fire of the enemy when another roadblock was encountered. Sergeant Libby received additional wounds but held his position until he lost consciousness. Sergeant Libby’s sustained, heroic actions enabled his comrades to reach friendly lines. His dauntless courage and gallant self-sacrifice reflect the highest credit upon himself and uphold the esteemed traditions of the U.S. Army.
Presentation Date and Details: June 21, 1951, at the Pentagon, presented by General Omar N. Bradley to Sergeant Libby’s sister, Mrs. Gladys Hillertz.
Photo of Taejon, South Korea, after the battle
From the Evening Express June 21, 1951
SISTER OF CASCO SOLDIER-HERO ACCEPTS HIS MEDAL OF HONOR
Sgt George Libby One of 11 To Get Highest Award
Washington, June 21 (AP) – General Omar Bradley said today that in Korea, “the free nations gained at least one precious year to prepare for whatever may come.”
He told the kinfolk of 11 gallant men of the Army – one of them Sergeant George D. Libby of Casco, Maine – to whom he gave the Medal of Honor, the Nation’s paramount military decoration, that these men made an “eminent contribution” to attaining that period of grace.
Ten of the men – infantrymen, engineers, a medic, men, and officers – are dead, and one is missing in action. Of 23 Medals of Honor awarded to Army soldiers who fought in Korea, only three have been alive and present to receive them.
The valor of these 11, above and beyond the call of duty, was demonstrated on what Bradley said was “that grim battleground” of Korea. He said their deeds had placed their names on the roll of courageous, patriotic Americans whose exploits will never be forgotten.”
For their deaths and for their daring, the five-star general of the Army offered “the deep sympathy and profound gratitude of our Nation.”
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff recalled that “three days less than a year ago,” the North Korean Communists crossed the 38th Parallel to wage war on the Republic of Korea. This was “part of the continuing Community plan to test the fortitude of the United Nations and the sincerity underlying their pledge taken at San Francisco five years before,” Bradley said.
He continued: World War III was a distinct possibility when the 38th Parallel was violated that morning in June 1950. Any sign of weakness on the part of the United States and her Allies – any shrinking from the challenge – most certainly would have indicated that the free world was ripe for conquest.
“But the challenge was accepted. The armies of North Korea and later of Red China – puppet armies sided in every way possible short of actual employment of Soviet Union forces – were resisted immediately, firmly, and courageously.
“Doubtlessly, this earnest stand deterred the Communists from engaging in an all-out war caused them to pause – momentarily perhaps, but pause nevertheless – in their plan for world domination.
“The free nations gained at least one precious year to prepare for whatever may come. During that year, they achieved complete cooperation and unity of understanding. During that year, they began to build the forces and equipment needed to bring their strength to the level needed for their collective security.
“That precious period of grace was earned by the strong, determined position which the United Nations took in Korea and by the achievement of their forces on that grim battleground.
“The gallant men whom we honor today each made an eminent contribution to those attainments, and I deem it a great privilege that I am permitted to participate in this ceremony and present their decorations as the representative of our President and commander-in-chief.”
With the awards today, the list of Army Medal of Honor winners in the Korean War has grown to 23 – of whom only three are alive and not missing. All those awarded today were to men either dead or missing.
The Army awards have gone to both soldiers and officers of four branches of service – 18 to infantrymen, two to engineers, two to members of armored outfits, and one to a hero of the Army Medical Service.
From the Pacific Stars and Stripes June 25, 1951
TARO LEAFERS PROUDLY OUTLIVE COMMIES’ PROPHECY
Ill-Equipped, Under-Strength Division Now Potent Fighting Force
WITH U.S. 24TH DIV (UP) – Seoul City Sue boasted on more than one occasion that the North Korean Communists would destroy the U.S. 24th Division.
But the war is one year old today, and the “Taro Leaf” Division is still around. In fact, almost 12 months of combat have transformed it from an ill-equipped, under-strength, occupation-softened garrison outfit into a seasoned, veteran fighting force considered the most potent of the United Nations divisions in Korea.
The Communists have good reason to wish for the annihilation of the 24th combat-wise troopers. Since the first two and one-half companies of the division were committed at Osan, South Korea, last July 5th, it has cut down the flower of the North Korean and Chinese Communist forces.
It has killed 38,253, wounded 61,120, and captured 28,006 Reds – a total of 127,329. And those figures do not include the months of July and November for which records have been lost.
A conservative estimate of the overall toll made by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas J. Marsden, Rye Beach, New Hampshire, division officers, is “at least 150,000.” Compared to the approximately 10,000 casualties – killed, wounded, and missing – suffered by the 24th, the ratio is 15 to one.
The most colorful pages in the history of the Korean War have been written by the 24th. The tiny original force, which stood eight and one-half hours against three Communist divisions at Osan, marked the first instance of the United Nations meeting force with force in combatting unwarranted aggression.
The bloody struggle at Taejon added many legends to American military history. The most colorful and often-quoted is the saga of Major General William Dean, who stayed behind with his rear guard and was last seen attacking an enemy tank with only a hand grenade.
And there was Sergeant George Dalton Libby, an engineer, who fought as an infantryman. He loaded wounded men on a tractor and shielded the only man who could drive it as the lumbering vehicle crashed through an enemy roadblock. Although wounded several times, Libby refused any aid and continued to shield the driver and return enemy fire until he fell dead from loss of blood.
Both he and General Dean were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Under a new commander, Major General John J. Church, the 24th held on the Naktong River and annihilated the Fourth North Korean Division in the bitter fighting. The 34th regiment was all but wiped out and was replaced by the Fifth Regimental Combat Team from Hawaii. The 21st Regiment earned the nickname “Fire Brigade” because of its quick shifts to plug dangerous gaps in the shaky perimeter.
The 24th broke out of the perimeter on September 18 and didn’t stop until it was within 14 miles of Sinuiju on the Yalu River in November. It was forced to pull back when the Chinese entered and made it a new war.
It fought rear guard actions for the evacuation of Pyongyang in early December and Seoul in January.
The “Taro Leafers,” under the command of Major General B.M. Bryan, were prominent in the renewed northward drive ordered by General Matthew B. Ridgway last winter. The doughfeet fought cross-country through knee-deep snow and sub-zero temperatures to slaughter fanatical Chinese fighting to the death for each hill.
It swept the Reds from south of the Han River and was within sight of Kumhwa when the Chinese launched their abortive spring counteroffensive. It fell back only when exposed flanks made its flanks untenable and contained the thrust north of the Han.
The division has earned two Presidential Unit Citations for its part in the Korean conflict, and each of the original men who landed with it last summer has been awarded the Bronze Star Medal.
General Bryan, in a special war anniversary statement, saluted the division as “The greatest infantry outfit ever to walk on its own two feet.”
On May 30, 2001, Nature Coast Korean War Veterans Association Chapter 174 made a special presentation during the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Day services at Florida Hills Memorial Gardens in Spring Hill. The chapter’s president, John McMillan, presented a certificate of special congressional recognition to the family of Sergeant George Dalton Libby, a Korean War Medal of Honor recipient.
Legacy naming
1) Libby Army Reserve Center in New Haven, Connecticut
2) Sierra Vista Municipal Airport – Libby Army Airfield Fort Huachuca, Arizona
3) George Dalton Libby Complex, Fort Leonard Wood – houses engineers in training
4) Monument at the Waterbury, Connecticut War Memorial, 1892 Thomaston Avenue
5) Libby Bridge in Korea: The Libby Bridge spans the Imjin River north of the Spoonbill region. The bridge is the work of the 84th Engineer Battalion and is one of the largest troop construction projects on record in Korea. It was built during the Korean War and used as a military road that also served as a travel path for farming residents in the north of the Civilian Control Line. It was shut down for safety reasons in 2016. Taking National Route 37, you can see the overall view of the Libby Bridge on the way to the upper stream of the Imjingang River. The City of Paju is currently working to have the Libby Bridge registered as a Modern Cultural Heritage and to develop the Bridge as a tourist site.
Buried in Arlington National Cemetery, 1 Memorial Drive, Arlington, Virginia; Section 34, Grave 1317. Photo by Jeff DeWitt.
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