Robert E. Simanek was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War who was presented with the Medal of Honor for his valor in battle.
- Died: August 1, 2022 (Who else died on August 1?)
- Details of death: Died in Novi, Michigan at the age of 92.
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Korean War and later years
Simanek joined the Marines in 1951. In 1952, four months after beginning his service in Korea, he was traveling on morning patrol to a combat outpost when his unit was ambushed. As they were taking cover under heavy fire, a grenade was thrown into their group. Simanek threw himself on the grenade, saving his fellow Marines and incurring serious injuries to his legs. The following year, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Simanek also earned a Purple Heart and Korean Service Medal with two bronze service stars, among other decorations. After the war, Simanek got his degree in business management. In 2021, the Expeditionary Sea Base ESB-7 was named in his honor, USS Robert Simanek.
Simanek on that fateful morning patrol
“I had been to the outpost before and thought of it as a somewhat vacation because no action had ever been there all the time I’d been on that particular part of the line. So, I took an old Readers’ Digest and a can of precious beer in my big back pocket and thought I was really going to have a relaxing situation. It didn’t turn out that way.” —source
Tributes to Robert E. Simanek
Full obituary: Congressional Medal of Honor Society
