George D. Libby

On 2 August 1951, the Army awarded the Medal of Honor to Libby posthumously. Later, on 4 July 1953, a bridge across the Imjin River in South Korea was dedicated to Libby.

On 20 July 1950, the 24th Infantry Division was attempting to withdraw from the city of Taejon, South Korea, after having been badly beaten by the North Korean Korean People's Army (KPA) in the Battle of Taejon. By nightfall, the last remaining elements of the division were attempting to leave the town for Taegu. Libby was aboard a truck to the east of town attempting to evacuate when it reached a KPA roadblock. The KPA there ambushed the truck, disabling it and killing or wounding everyone aboard except Libby with gunfire.

Serving with the 24th Infantry Division, Sergeant Libby was attempting to withdraw from Taejon after the Battle of Taejon when the truck he was riding in was disabled by North Korean fire. Libby exposed himself to enemy fire multiple times to help wounded soldiers, before using himself as a human shield to protect the driver of another truck as they broke through the North Korean forces. Shot multiple times, Libby died from blood loss, but was able to protect a truck full of wounded men until they escaped to allied lines. For this action, Libby was awarded the Medal of Honor.

By the time of the outbreak of the Korean War, Libby was a sergeant and had been assigned to C Company of the 3rd Engineer Battalion, 24th Infantry Division.

Libby was one of the first two soldiers to be awarded the Medal of Honor during the Korean war, the other being 24th Infantry Division commander Major General William F. Dean, who was captured in the same evacuation.

George Dalton Libby (4 December 1919 – 20 July 1950) was a soldier in the United States Army during the Korean War. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions on July 20, 1950.

George Dalton Libby was born on 4 December 1919 in Bridgton, Maine. He enlisted in the United States Army in Waterbury, Connecticut.