90 Germans Had Him at Gunpoint — Then He Started Laughing
Frank Ledger WW2
33,935 views
January 29th, 1945. A farmyard outside Holzheim, Belgium. Leonard Funk is five foot five, he has a Thompson slung on a shoulder he can't get to in time, and roughly ninety German prisoners are pulling their surrendered weapons back out of the snow around him.
A German officer jams a machine pistol into his stomach and screams at him to surrender.
Funk laughed at him.
Forty-five seconds later, 21 of those Germans were dead and the rest were back on their knees. It got him the Medal of Honor, and when Truman put it around his neck he said he'd rather have that medal than be President.
Then Funk went home to Pennsylvania and took a desk job at the Veterans Administration. Twenty-seven years of disability paperwork. Two daughters in McKeesport. When people asked him about Holzheim he'd give them about eight words and change the subject.
Most decorated American paratrooper of the war, and hardly anyone knows his name. Ask people to name a WW2 hero and you'll get Audie Murphy every time.
Had you heard of Leonard Funk before this one? Let me know below.
#WW2 #MedalOfHonor #82ndAirborne #WorldWarII #MilitaryHistory
20 Comments
All props to Leonard Funk, if real. All BS to this video.
All honors and thank you for the men and women in our armed forces. Thank you for keeping us free. I hope we don't throw it away here at home.
The Incredible Story of First Sergeant Leonard Alfred Funk Jr.
First Sergeant Leonard Alfred Funk Jr. (August 27, 1916 – November 20, 1992) was a United States Army Medal of Honor recipient and one of the most decorated soldiers and paratroopers of World War II. He served with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (508th PIR) during the most pivotal campaigns in the European theater of World War II. After jumping into Normandy on D-Day with the 82nd Airborne Division, he earned the Distinguished Service Cross during Operation Market Garden and the Medal of Honor during the Battle of the Bulge. Additionally, Funk earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. To learn more about First Sergeant Funk’s incredible bravery, continue reading.
gin with, it was 2st Sergeant, not buck E-5 Sergeant, and seconly, none of the reports of
what happened mentioned him laughing at the Grrman officer. He just simply acted like he was going to
comply the the german’s demand to surrender bur turned his rifle fast and killed hin, that’s all.
90 Germans Had Him at Gunpoint — Then He Started Laughing
Frank Ledger WW2
33,935 views
January 29th, 1945. A farmyard outside Holzheim, Belgium. Leonard Funk is five foot five, he has a Thompson slung on a shoulder he can't get to in time, and roughly ninety German prisoners are pulling their surrendered weapons back out of the snow around him.
A German officer jams a machine pistol into his stomach and screams at him to surrender.
Funk laughed at him.
Forty-five seconds later, 21 of those Germans were dead and the rest were back on their knees. It got him the Medal of Honor, and when Truman put it around his neck he said he'd rather have that medal than be President.
Then Funk went home to Pennsylvania and took a desk job at the Veterans Administration. Twenty-seven years of disability paperwork. Two daughters in McKeesport. When people asked him about Holzheim he'd give them about eight words and change the subject.
Most decorated American paratrooper of the war, and hardly anyone knows his name. Ask people to name a WW2 hero and you'll get Audie Murphy every time.
Had you heard of Leonard Funk before this one? Let me know below.
#WW2 #MedalOfHonor #82ndAirborne #WorldWarII #MilitaryHistory