Matt Urban

Matt Louis Urban (August 25, 1919 – March 4, 1995) was a United States Army lieutenant colonel and one of the most decorated American soldiers of World War II. Urban performed valiantly in combat on many occasions despite being wounded in action several times. He received over a dozen personal decorations for combat, including seven Purple Hearts. In 1980, he received the Medal of Honor and three other U.S. decorations and one foreign decoration for his actions in France and Belgium in 1944.

Early years Matt Urban was born Matthew Louis Urbanowicz in Buffalo, New York. His father Stanley was a Polish immigrant and a plumbing contractor. His mother Helen was born in Depew, New York. Urban was baptized at Corpus Christi Church and lived at 1153 Broadway while growing up. He attended East High School in Buffalo, and graduated in 1937. He had three brothers: Doctor Stanley (Urbanowicz) Urban, Arthur (Urbanowicz) Urban, While at Cornell University, he was a member of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), the track and boxing teams, and the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity.

Military service The U.S. Army service records for Urban use both "Matt Urban" and "Matty Louis (L.) Urbanowitz". The name "Matt Louis Urban" was engraved on the front of his original white Arlington National Cemetery headstone. His current and private grave monument at Arlington National Cemetery uses the name "Matt L. Urban".

Urban was commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry in the U.S. Army on May 22, 1941, and entered active duty on July 2, 1941, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. , 9th Infantry Division ("Old Reliables").

North Africa Urban first went into combat when he made the beach landing under fire with another soldier on a raft on November 8, 1942, the first day of the invasion of North Africa, of the North Africa Campaign.

While serving with the Second Battalion, 60th Infantry, he was wounded in action seven times. A member of his unit, Sergeant Earl G. Evans, wrote "the major, only a lieutenant at the time, was wounded in Maknassy, Tunisia and refused to be evacuated. He followed up this refusal by taking out a combat patrol. At another time in Tunisia, our battalion successfully halted a German counterattack, and it was through the major's efforts that we succeeded. As our outfit was falling back, the major held his ground and grabbed the closest German. He killed him with a trench knife, took the German's machine pistol, and fired at the onrushing enemy." Urban's company and battalion successfully spearheaded 4,000 men with pack-mules single file by night, which caught the Germans off guard and caused them to retreat from Troina to the next line of defense at Randazzo.

A battle would have cost hundreds of American lives.

On August 2, Urban was wounded in the chest by a shell fragment that narrowly missed his heart. He again refused to be evacuated to a hospital. On August 6, Wolf was killed in action near Cherbourg, France, and Urban, only 24 years old, assumed command of the battalion. Urban was wounded again by shrapnel on August 15, but remained with his unit.

Belgium

On September 2, 1944, the 2nd Battalion was assigned to a regiment of another infantry division.

Germany While getting a pass to Scotland in December, he returned instead to the 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry, which was at Camp Elsenborn, Germany. The U.S. Army then completed the necessary recommendation process to award Urban the Medal of Honor. In 1980, by the direction of the President, the Department of the Army awarded Matt Urban the Medal of Honor, in the name of the Congress. The citation for the medal which was not personally awarded to Urban before this occasion was signed by General Charles de Gaulle in June 1944.

Death

Urban died on March 4, 1995, in Holland, Michigan, at the age of 75. The cause of death was a collapsed lung, reportedly due to his war injuries. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Military awards and honors Urban's military awards include fourteen individual decorations for combat: the Medal of Honor, two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit, three Bronze Star Medals (two for heroism), and seven Purple Hearts. Urban received the following military decorations and awards:

Combat Infantryman Badge Medal of Honor Silver Starwith bronze oak leaf clusterLegion of MeritBronze Star Medalwith Valor device and two bronze oak leaf clustersPurple Heartwith silver and bronze oak leaf clustersAmerican Defense Service MedalAmerican Campaign MedalEuropean-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medalwith " silver star and one " bronze starWorld War II Victory MedalCroix de Guerrewith Star(France) (There is a discrepancy between Army records and Urban's autobiography.) The Army lists this medal as the Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star, while Urban states it is the Croix de Guerre with Silver-Gilt Star. (Unit Citation – Emblem not authorized)(France) Army Presidential Unit Citation (Urban's autobiography lists two awards of the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), while the Army officially credits him with one.) According to his Medal of Honor citation, Urban was wounded in the early morning hours of June 15 and "evacuated to England".

G.O. No.: 10, 18 September 1980

Personal awards and honors Urban's personal awards and honors include: Man of the Year Award (1953), Monroe, Michigan New York State Conspicuous Service Cross (1979) Matt Urban Day (1979), Holland, Michigan Amateur Softball Association of America, National Softball Hall of Fame (Commissioner), 1980 Matt Urban Sports Complex (1996), Holland, Michigan Matt Urban Center (2000), Buffalo, New York Matt Urban American Legion Post 40, Monroe, Michigan Lt. Col. Matt Urban Memorial (2008), Buffalo, New York Lt. Col. Matt Urban VFW Post 7275 (2011), Lancaster, New York Lt. Col. Matt Urban Polish Legion of American Veterans (PLAV) Post 164, Warren, Ohio National Veteran Boxers Association, Buffalo Boxing Hall of Fame (2012) Matt Urban Memorial Bridge, US 24, was named after Urban in 2014, in Monroe County, Michigan Kappa Delta Rho fraternity, Ordo Honoris – Beta Chapter, Cornell University The Headquarters, 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry, building at Fort Jackson, South Carolina was named "Urban Hall" in March 2017