THE
PRESIDENT: Laura and I welcome you to the White House. This is a special
occasion for our nation. We're here to pay tribute to a soldier with an
extraordinary devotion to his brothers in arms, and an unshakeable love
for his adopted homeland of America.
Corporal Tibor "Ted" Rubin's many acts of courage during the Korean
War saved the lives of hundreds of his fellow soldiers. In the heat of
battle, he inspired his comrades with his fearlessness. And amid the
inhumanity of a Chinese prisoner of war camp, he gave them hope. Some of
those soldiers are here today, and they have never forgotten what they
owe this man. And by awarding the Medal of Honor to Corporal Rubin
today, the United States acknowledges a debt that time has not
diminished.
It's our honor to welcome Ted's wife, Yvonne; daughter, Rosie -- a
2nd grade teacher, I might add -- (laughter) -- Frank and Lai, welcome.
Glad you all are here.
Mr. Vice President, thank you for coming. Mr. Secretary, we're proud
you're here. I appreciate Senator John Warner, the Chairman of the Armed
Services Committee; Congressman Robert Wexler, of Florida -- welcome.
Thank you for being here. Former Congressman Ben Gilman and Georgia are
with us. Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey; Pete Geren, acting
Secretary of the Air Force; "Admiral G," Vice Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs is with us. General Pete Schoomaker, Chief of Staff of the United
States Army. And, Rabbi, thank you very much for your blessings.
I want to thank Ambassador Andras Simonyi, the Ambassador of Hungary
to the United States, for joining us -- proud you're here. Yes.
(Laughter.)
So honored to have the four Medal of Honor recipients with us: Barney
Barnum, with the United States Marines; Al Rascon, the Army; Bob Foley,
the Army; and Jack Jacobs, of the Army. Proud you're here. Thanks for
being here.
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for bravery that a President
can bestow. It is given for acts of valor that no superior could rightly
order a soldier to perform. And that is what we mean by "above and
beyond the call of duty." By repeatedly risking his own life to save
others, Corporal Rubin exemplified the highest ideals of military
service and fulfilled a pledge to give something back to the country
that had given him his freedom.
Born in Hungary in 1929, Ted and his family were rounded up by the
Nazis and taken to concentration camps when he was just 13 years old. He
was taken to Mauthausen Camp in Austria, where an SS officer told the
prisoner, "You, Jews, none of you will ever make it out of here alive."
And many did not. Before the war was over, both of Ted's parents and one
of his sisters were lost in the Holocaust. Ted Rubin survived the camp
for 14 months, long enough to be liberated by U.S. Army troops on May
the 5th, 1945.
These American GIs gave Ted his first real taste of freedom. Their
compassion for the people in the camp made a deep impression on this
teenage survivor. It was his first experience with soldiers who were
fighting to protect human life. That day Ted made a promise to himself,
if he ever made it to America, he would show his appreciation to this
great land by enlisting in the United States Army. He did move to
America after the war, and the young immigrant made good on his pledge.
Even though he was not yet a citizen, he volunteered to serve his new
nation in uniform, and seven months after taking the oath of a U.S.
soldier, he was sent to Korea.
The conditions were brutal, the fighting was intense, and the bitter
cold was unrelenting. And it was in these grueling circumstances that
Corporal Rubin impressed his fellow soldiers in the 1st Cav Division as
one of the best ever to wear our nation's uniform.
Those who served with Ted speak of him as a soldier of great skill
and courage. One night near the Pusan Perimeter, Corporal Rubin had been
assigned to hold a hill that was essential to the 3rd Battalion safe
withdrawal. For 24 hours this lone rifleman would defend the hill
against an overwhelming number of North Korean forces. By his actions
Corporal Rubin inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy, saved the lives
of countless soldiers, and gave the unit time to withdraw.
Those who served with Ted speak of him as a soldier who gladly risked
his own life for others. When Corporal Rubin's battalion found itself
ambushed by thousands of Chinese troops, the Americans' firepower soon
dwindled to a single machine gun. The weapon was in an exposed position
and three soldiers had already died manning it. That was when Corporal
Rubin stepped forward. He fought until his ammunition was gone. He was
badly wounded, captured and sent to a POW camp. He risked his life that
day to protect his fellow American soldiers, and his heroism helped many
of them escape.
Those who served with Ted speak of him as a soldier whose many acts
of compassion helped his fellow GIs survive the nightmare of
imprisonment. As a teenager, Ted had taught himself how to survive the
horrors of a Nazi death camp. He was resourceful, courageous, and
unusually strong. And in Korea, he drew on these qualities to help keep
many of his POWs alive. Whenever he could, at the risk of certain
execution, Corporal Rubin would sneak out and steal food rations from
the guards, and then he shared them with his fellow soldiers. Throughout
this ordeal he nursed those who were sick back to health, and said the
Kaddish prayers for those he buried.
And when his captives offered to release him to Communist Hungary,
with the guarantee of a good job and nice clothes and plenty of food,
Corporal Rubin refused. He said, "I was in the U.S. Army, and I wouldn't
leave my American brothers because they need me here." Ted's decision
was in character.
As a Jew and non-citizen serving in uniform, he had experienced
prejudice in the Army. And he knew that the America he fought for did
not always live up to its highest ideals. Yet he had enough trust in
America's promise to see his commitment through. He saw it as his
personal duty to live up to our nation's promise, and by doing so he set
an example of what it means to be an American.
Many heroes are remembered in monuments of stone. The monuments to
Corporal Rubin are a legacy of life. We see his legacy in the many
American families whose husbands, fathers, and sons returned home safely
because of his efforts. We see his legacy in the free and democratic
South Korea that grew on the soil of his sacrifice. And we see his
legacy in a new generation of American men and women in uniform who were
inspired to their own acts of courage and compassion.
Today, we remember the mother, father and sister that Corporal Rubin
lost to an unspeakable evil. We admire the determination of a young man
who sought to repay his American liberators by following in their
footsteps, and we recall the selfless acts that gave his comrades
strength and hope in their darkest hours.
In the years since Abraham Lincoln signed into law the bill
establishing the Medal of Honor, we have had many eloquent tributes to
what this medal represents. I like Ted's description. He calls it "the
highest honor of the best country in the world." And today, a grateful
America bestows this award on a true son of liberty.
I now ask the Military Aide to read the citation. (Applause.)
(The citation is read. The medal is presented.) (Applause.)