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44
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1989
NEWS
Doubted by the U.S. Army
and spurned by his one-time
advocates on Capitol Hill, a
Jewish veteran of World
War II pledged that he will
persist in his efforts to be
awarded the Congressional
Medal of Honor.
And he is asking U.S.
Jewry for help.
"I need the Jews to back
me," he said last week in a
telephone interview from his
home in Milton, Wis. "From
day one I have been fighting
the Pentagon."
- He appealed to
"congressmen, people in
high influence" to intercede
on his behalf.
On Dec. 15, the Army
Military Awards Branch
announced that after a 23-
month investigation, it was
denying Rubitsky's request
for the medal.
The awards branch ex-
plained that it did not find
incontestable proof to back
Rubitsky's claim that he
killed 500 to 600 Japanese
troops on the island of Buna
in New Guinea in a 21-hour
battle from Dec. 1 to 2, 1942.
The awards branch also
said there was not con-
clusive evidence that Rubit-
sky was recommended for
the award within the re-
quired two years after the
action.
Rubitsky, 72, claims the
application for the medal
was intercepted 47 years ago
by a superior officer on Buna
who said, "A Jew will not
get the Medal of Honor."
Jewish groups this week
criticized the Army's review
board.
But Steve Shaw, executive
director of •the Jewish War
Veterans of America, called
verification of Rubitsky's
claim "a problem both for
the Army and for us."
Army Secretary Michael
Stone has the power to over-
turn the review board's deci-
sion, "but he's not going to
do that," Maj. Joe Padilla,
an Army spokesman, said
Monday. "It's just that he
has reviewed the findings of
the review board and con-
curs with the findings."
For Rubitsky to have
received the medal, either
Stone or the review board
would have had to review
Rubitsky's claim positively.
In addition, both houses of
Andrew Muchin of the
Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle
and the Jewish Telegraphic
Agency contributed to this
report.
-
Congress would have had to
approve legislation exemp-
ting Rubitsky from not hav-
ing filed recommendations
by 1951 for World War II
deeds.
Padilla praised Rubitsky
for having "served
honorably" and noted the
veteran received a combat
infantry badge and a bronze
star. That is "probably what
the average soldier received
during World War II for
their service," he added.
Shaw said there was no
evidence of anti=Semitism
against Rubitsky by a senior
officer who was in a position
to write a recommendation,
as Rubitsky had claimed.
But ShaW admitted that in
•
•
"From day one I
have been fighting
the Pentagon."
general, "The military is a
microcosm of American
society and sure, there's an-
ti-Semitism there."
Two Jews were among the
Army's 295 Medals of Honor
recipients in World War II.
In World War I, four Jews
were among 95 recipients,
none were among the 70
Korean War recipients and
one was among the 155
Vietnam War recipients,
said Padilla.
Such a medal "shouldn't
be given (out) lightly," Shaw
said.
But Seymour Reich, presi-
dent of B'nai B'rith Interna-
tional, said the Army is
"better to err on the side on
honoring an undeniably
brave man than risk
begrudging a courageous
soldier a grateful nation's
debt of honor."
Abraham Foxman, na-
tional director of the Anti-
Defamation League of B'nai
B'rith, called the decision
"unconscionable" in a letter
Friday to Stone. Foxman
said the ADL had "worked
on Mr. Rubitsky's behalf for
the past two years."
Besides Rubitsky, Shaw is
aware of one other Jewish
veteran seeking such a
medal.
Tibor Rubin, a disabled
Korean War veteran, claims
he risked his life to save the
lives of 35 fellow prisoners of
war. Rubin said he stole food
and supplies for his dying
buddies and tended to their
wounds.
The JWV last year kicked
off a nationwide campaign to
have the Army issue a medal
to Rubin.
•
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