[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 29, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H6981-H6982]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HONORING TED RUBIN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Lowenthal) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today to honor the military 
service and the life of Tibor--known to us as Ted--Rubin, a Korean war 
veteran, a Holocaust survivor, and a prisoner of war survivor.
  Mr. Rubin received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2005, and he 
will be the guest of honor at a ceremony in the city of Garden Grove at 
their post office in Orange County, California, on August 8, 2014.
  Ted was born on June 18, 1929, in Hungary. He spent 14 months in a 
concentration camp in Austria, which was

[[Page H6982]]

liberated by the United States Army. Inspired by the work of the United 
States Army who saved him, he enlisted and became a member of the U.S. 
Army's 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, on February 13, 
1950, and he was soon deployed to Korea.
  Despite facing religious discrimination from his sergeant, who sent 
him on the most dangerous missions in South Korea's Pusan Perimeter and 
who withheld his commendation, he fought valiantly. Corporal Rubin 
enabled the complete withdrawal of his comrades by solely defending a 
hill under an overwhelming assault by North Korean troops.
  He inflicted a staggering number of casualties on the attacking force 
during his personal 24-hour battle and helped capture several hundred 
North Korean soldiers. During a massive nighttime assault, he manned a 
.30-caliber machine gun and slowed the pace of the enemy advance.
  On a later assignment, Corporal Rubin was severely wounded, and he 
was captured. He disregarded his own personal safety and immediately 
began sneaking out of the camp at night in search of food for his 
comrades.
  Risking certain torture or death if he was caught, he provided food 
to the starving soldiers, and he provided desperately needed medical 
care for the wounded in the prisoner of war camp. He used improvised 
medical techniques to save his fellow soldiers and provided critical 
moral support. His brave, selfless efforts were directly attributed to 
saving the lives of as many as 40 of his fellow prisoners.
  Corporal Rubin's gallant actions in close contact with the enemy and 
unyielding courage and bravery while a prisoner of war are in the 
highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon 
himself and the United States Army.
  Corporal Rubin states: ``I always wanted to become a citizen of the 
United States, and when I became a citizen, it was one of the happiest 
days in my life. I think about the United States, and I am a lucky 
person to live here. When I came to America, it was the first time I 
was free. It was one of the reasons I joined the U.S. Army, because I 
wanted to show my appreciation. It is the best country in the world, 
and I am part of it now. I do not have to worry about the gestapo 
knocking on my door tonight. I have shalom, peace. People die for it.''

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