HERMAN C. WALLACE (? ~ 1945). Medal of Honor recipient Herman Wallace was born in Marlow, Oklahoma, but his birth date is unknown. He joined the Army at Lubbock, Texas, and was assigned to Company B, 301st Combat Engineer Battalion, 76th Infantry Division.
On February 27, 1945, his unit was clearing a road of buried mines near Prumzurley, Germany. Wallace stepped on an S-type antipersonnel mine and heard its characteristic noise which indicated that it had been activated. His training and experience taught him that if he fell prone to the side the mine would explode up into the air and spray the surrounding area with shrapnel, killing those around him but sparing his life. Wallace deliberately placed his other foot over the mine, which detonated. He died instantly, but by absorbing the explosion saved at least two members of his unit.
Wallace was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for placing the safety of his fellow soldiers above his own. He is buried in the City of Lubbock Cemetery.
Bibliography: "Above and Beyond: The Medal of Honor in Texas," Capitol Visitors Center, State Preservation Board of Texas. Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association, University of Texas, http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/WW/fwaux.html, October 12, 2005.
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