\n The nation\u2019s oldest Medal of Honor recipient, a World War II
\n Army veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, will
\n celebrate his 95th birthday at a party today at a Clifton VFW Post.\n <\/p>\n
\n ELIZABETH LARA\/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER\n <\/p>\n
\n Army veteran Nicholas Oresko, 95, received the Medal of
\n Honor for his bravery during the Battle of the Bulge in
\n World War II in 1945. His birthday, and his
\n accomplishments, will be honored today in Clifton.\n <\/p>\n
\n Nicholas Oresko of Cresskill, a U.S.
\n Army master sergeant and Purple Heart recipient who
\n single-handedly wiped out two enemy bunkers near Tettington,
\n Germany, on Jan. 23, 1945, will also commemorate the 67th
\n anniversary of his heroism at today\u2019s party at VFW Post 7165 on
\n Valley Road.\n <\/p>\n
\n Oresko\u2019s birthday was Jan. 18, and each invitee has been asked
\n to bring a younger person to hear the story of the hero platoon
\n leader with Company C, 302nd Infantry, 94th Infantry Division.\n <\/p>\n
\n Back in January 1945, when the 28-year-old Oresko and his unit
\n were taking on heavy fire from the Germans, the situation
\n looked grim.\n <\/p>\n
\n \"We attacked their positions several times, and we got beaten
\n back,\" he said. \"It\u2019s terrible. It scares the hell out of you.\n <\/p>\n
\n \"So we figured this time, let\u2019s sneak up on them,\" Oresko said.
\n \"Instead of getting prepared with artillery fire, let\u2019s just go
\n as it gets dark and sneak up on them and then attack \u2019em.\"\n <\/p>\n
\n Oresko started out solo \u2014 at 4:30 a.m. that cold winter
\n morning. He assessed his chances.\n <\/p>\n
\n \"I looked up to heaven and said, \u2018Lord, I know I\u2019m going to
\n die, please make it fast,\u2019 \" he said.\n <\/p>\n
\n Oresko realized that a machine gun in a nearby bunker must be
\n eliminated, and he did so alone, according to the 1945 citation
\n honoring his brave actions. Facing heavy gunfire, he tossed a
\n grenade into the bunker, then rushed it with his M-1 rifle and
\n killed any hostile forces who survived the explosion.\n <\/p>\n
\n Another machine gun opened fire and knocked him down, seriously
\n wounding Oresko in the hip, the citation says.\n <\/p>\n
\n Oresko said he managed a slow crawl to another bunker.\n <\/p>\n
\n \"The machine gunner who shot me thought I was dead,\" Oresko
\n said. \"I was able to move around, sneak around, so they didn\u2019t
\n see me. They saw me go down. They thought they\u2019d killed me, but
\n they didn\u2019t. I slipped around and somehow got around, and they
\n were in a bunch.\"\n <\/p>\n
\n Oresko crawled back for grenades he\u2019d dropped from inside his
\n jacket and advanced to an enemy dug-in machine gun. He crippled
\n the gun with a grenade blast and wiped out the troops manning
\n it with his rifle, the citation says.\n <\/p>\n
\n \"I got to the position to do what I was supposed to do, and I
\n couldn\u2019t because I had no grenades,\" Oresko said. \"I had to
\n crawl back a couple of feet and pick up the grenades. I was
\n almost afraid to do that, but I figured, what the hell?\"\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
See the rest here: The nation\u2019s oldest Medal of Honor recipient, a World War II Army veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, will celebrate his 95th birthday at a party today at a Clifton VFW Post. ELIZABETH LARA\/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Army veteran Nicholas Oresko, 95, received the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II in 1945. Continue reading
\nLongevity, heroism saluted<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"