...at first, when I was watching a video on YouTube. It is a long video, at least long for me to watch. Regardless of me at first thinking it phony, I watched and listened intently because it was a great story. It was a story about what real American heroes are made of; and if Leonard A. Funk was not an American hero, then no one was one.
Watch the video, it's long like I said, about a half hour, but it seems to be true - at least all the parts of the actions he took under the conditions described.Whether or not he laughed in the German Officer's face, while having a machine gun pointed at his gut, that might be questionable and requires more searching but I, for one, would like to believe it true. Why? Because if that ain't what an American hero with true grit would do, then no one, anywhere or at any time, has ever done anything like it. By the way, I know he earned the Medal Of Honor, for the actions against the Germans as described in the video. Of that there is no question; I searched out his medal citation. He also won the several other medals mentioned awarded him by the USA (I saw them listed on his Tombstone in a photo independent of the video). I am guessing he was awarded the European ones as well.
This guy had it all: guts, know how, ability, opportunity, motive (The Malmedy Massacre) and an excellent tool to do the job. He also actually had true grit, even the most brave among mankind probably would have surrendered in that situation; yet, he was determined and he persevered taking control and winning the battle.
Below is a link to his Medal Of Honor citation. If you do not believe the video read the citation: https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/leonard-a-funk. Below is a photo of him circa 1945, source Wikipedia.
He also, as the video said & from what I found on Wikipedia, worked for the VA after he was honorably discharged from the army and he died as said of cancer at too young an age for a hero to die. I can only imagine what went through his own mind, let alone those of the German officer and the German troops as he started and kept on laughing. I have laughed like that before, uncontrollably, while caught in an absurd unwinnable situation that did not befit laughter, but certainly not under those conditions with a gun to my belly while facing odds like he faced.
We need more folks like him in this country, heck in the world. The truly odd thing is, I do not recall ever hearing of him before. Had you ever heard of him before seeing this post? Sure, as the video indicated - we have all heard of Audie Murphy and Sgt. Alvin York but of Leonard A. Funk??? Well, I may have heard of him way back, then again maybe not - I am just uncertain; yet, I am pretty sure I had heard the Truman quote before. So, maybe I heard of Funk too. Still though, I do not recall hearing about his amazing story ever before. I am an old geezer now and have forgotten more than many people have ever learned but I think if I had heard of him and that battle before, I'd remember - both him and his story are just that fantastic.
All the best,
Glenn B
