Local man was Jewish American hero of World War II | Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle

Local man was Jewish American hero of World War II

SHOREWOOD – The war hero stories that we’re accustomed to hearing often involve men whose only role is to fight. The story of Benjamin Lewis Salomon is different.

Salomon, a graduate of Shorewood High School, bravely fought off Japanese forces before being killed in the World War II Battle of Saipan in 1944. Salomon’s position with the armed forces? An Army dentist who had been serving as a surgeon.

Before his stand at Saipan, Salomon had focused most of his energy on a career as a dentist. In 1937, Salomon had graduated from the University of Southern California’s School of Dentistry at a time when American universities limited the number of Jewish students accepted, and he later set up his own practice in Beverly Hills, according to a 2002 article in the Los Angeles Times. The article also tells of USC alumni who had known Salomon when he was younger. They recalled that he was tall and attractive, and even counted striving movie stars among his patients at his Beverly Hills practice.

Best available photo of Benjamin Lewis Salomon

Best available photo of Benjamin Lewis Salomon

Prior to setting up his career in dentistry, Salomon had other aspirations. He tried to enlist in both the American and Canadian armed forces after his graduation from USC in 1937, but was unsuccessful. Yet, in 1940, Salomon was drafted as an infantryman, according to the Los Angeles Times.

As the Los Angeles Times also recounts, Salomon continued practicing dentistry in the army when he was commissioned as a regimental dentist in 1942, and offered dental checkups to his friends.

But when the Battle of Saipan began in the Marianas Islands, Salomon had to call upon skills that surpassed his training as a dentist. On July 7, 1944, regiments on Saipan were overwhelmed by a force of 3,000 to 5,000 Japanese soldiers, one of the largest attacks during the Pacific Theater of World War II, according to the Congressional Honor Medal Society.  Salomon had been serving in the 27th infantry division when the attack began.

The situation grew increasingly dire, as the Congressional Honor Medal Society details Salomon’s story. Salomon, who had been serving as a surgeon in order to replace a previously injured surgeon, tried to keep up with the number of wounded soldiers at his aid station. When enemy soldiers overran the aid station, Salomon told the wounded to move further back into the station as best they could. He then made a stand to stave off the attacking Japanese soldiers, first with a rifle, and later with a machine gun.

When Salomon’s body was found later, it was also discovered that the bodies of 98 enemy soldiers had been gunned down before Salomon lost his life.

Salomon’s courage wasn’t initially recognized. A Los Angeles Times article covering his eventual posthumous reception of the Congressional Medal of Honor notes that he had been nominated for the award, but his commanding officer at the time believed Salomon was ineligible.

Finally in 2002, Salomon was awarded the Medal of Honor by President George Bush, due to the efforts of a later USC alum, Dr. Robert West, who had come across Salomon’s story while putting together a book for the school’s 100th anniversary. According to Honor States, an organization that aims to recognize the accomplishments of U.S. servicemen and women, Salomon is one of only 17 known Jewish American recipients of the Medal of Honor since the honor was first awarded during the Civil War. Prior to Salomon, only two Jewish Americans had been honored during World War II with the award.

Although President Bush and Dr. West were present to honor him, Salomon had no surviving family or relatives to attend the ceremony, according to official sources.

“No one who knew him is with us this afternoon,” remarked Bush. “Yet America will always know Benjamin Lewis Salomon by the citation to be read shortly. It tells of one young man who was the match for 100, a person of true valor who now receives the honor due him from a grateful country.”