Dentist, Captain in the 27th Infantry Division. Was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the largest "Banzai" attack of the war on Saipan 6/7 July 1944. From FIND A GRAVE:World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. He graduated from the University of Southern California Dental College in 1937 and was practicing dentistry when inducted in the US Army. In 1942 he became an officer in the Dental Corps. and worked in the hospital medical group. By June 1944, he was Captain, serving as voluntarily Surgeon, in the 2nd Battalion, 105th Infantry, Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. At the Battle of Saipan, Marianas Islands on July 7, 1944, thousands of Japanese troops broke through American lines to non-combat units and areas. As the perimeter began to be overrun, he ordered enlisted medics to evacuate the wounded to a rear area. Manning a machine gun he stayed behind to provide cover and hold off the advancing enemy. The next day he was found dead, slumped over the machine gun surrounded by 98 dead Japanese soldiers. Although he was recommended for a posthumous Medal of Honor at the time, the recommendation was not approved because of his status as a medical officer precluded his eligibility for the award. After numerous levels of review, the Secretary of Defense signed approval of the award in March 2002 and his Medal was presented in a White House ceremony on May 1, 2002. He is one of seventeen Jewish Americans known to have received the Medal of Honor since it’s inception during the Civil War to the present. MEDAL OF HONOR CITATIONCaptain Ben L. Salomon was serving at Saipan, in the Marianas Islands on July 7, 1944, as the Surgeon for the 2d Battalion, 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. The Regiment's 1st and 2d Battalions were attacked by an overwhelming force estimated between 3,000 and 5,000 Japanese soldiers. It was one of the largest attacks attempted in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Although both units fought furiously, the enemy soon penetrated the Battalions' combined perimeter and inflicted overwhelming casualties. In the first minutes of the attack, approximately 30 wounded soldiers walked, crawled, or were carried into Captain Salomon's aid station, and the small tent soon filled with wounded men. As the perimeter began to be overrun, it became increasingly difficult for Captain Salomon to work on the wounded. He then saw a Japanese soldier bayoneting one of the wounded soldiers lying near the tent. Firing from a squatting position, Captain Salomon quickly killed the enemy soldier. Then, as he turned his attention back to the wounded, two more Japanese soldiers appeared in the front entrance of the tent. As these enemy soldiers were killed, four more crawled under the tent walls. Rushing them, Captain Salomon kicked the knife out of the hand of one, shot another, and bayoneted a third. Captain Salomon butted the fourth enemy soldier in the stomach and a wounded comrade then shot and killed the enemy soldier. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Captain Salomon ordered the wounded to make their way as best they could back to the regimental aid station, while he attempted to hold off the enemy until they were clear. Captain Salomon then grabbed a rifle from one of the wounded and rushed out of the tent. After four men were killed while manning a machine gun, Captain Salomon took control of it. When his body was later found, 98 dead enemy soldiers were piled in front of his position. Captain Salomon's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.