Leslie H. Sabo Jr.
| Leslie Halasz Sabo Jr. | |
|---|---|
Leslie Halasz Sabo Jr. in 1969
|
|
| Born | 22 February 1948 Kufstein, Austria |
| Died | 10 May 1970 (aged 22) Se San, Cambodia |
| Place of burial | North Sewickley Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1969–1970 |
| Rank | Sergeant (posthumous) |
| Unit | Company B, 3d Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Medal of Honor Bronze Star Purple Heart Air Medal |
Leslie Halasz Sabo Jr. (Hungarian: ifj. Halász Szabó László) (22 February 1948 – 10 May 1970) was a soldier in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He received the highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Cambodian Campaign in 1970.
Born in Kufstein, Austria, Sabo's family immigrated to the United States when he was young and moved to Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. Sabo dropped out of college and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1969, becoming a member of the 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. On 10 May 1970 Sabo's unit was on an interdiction mission near Se San, Cambodia when they were ambushed from all sides by the Vietnam People's Army. Sabo repeatedly exposed himself to North Vietnamese fire, protecting other soldiers from a grenade blast and providing covering fire for American helicopters until he was killed.
Sabo was nominated for the Medal of Honor shortly after his death, but the records were lost. In 1999 a fellow Vietnam War veteran came across the records and began the process of reopening Sabo's nomination. Following several delays, Sabo's widow received the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama on 16 May 2012, 42 years after his death.
Sabo was born in Kufstein, Austria on 22 February 1948 to Elizabeth and Leslie Sabo Sr., who had been members of an upper-class Hungarian family. Leslie Jr. had one brother, George, who was born in 1944, as well as a second brother who had been killed in World War II bombings at the age of one. With the post-World War II occupation of Hungary by the Soviet Union, Sabo's family lost their fortune in the war and, upon realizing Communism would be installed in Hungary long-term, they left the country permanently.
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