MedalOfHonor “Bill” Matthew Leonard (November 26, 1929–February 28, 1967) was a United States Army sergeant who posthumously received America's highest military decoration
MedalOfHonor “Bill” Matthew Leonard (November 26, 1929–February 28, 1967) was a United States Army sergeant who posthumously received America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War. Bill Leonard was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on November 29, 1929. He joined the Army in 1947 at the age of 18 and became a career military man. During his service he was married and had five children. The family of seven had an opportunity to travel extensively all over the world. His wife Lois recalls that during their stay in Germany she would invite everyone in the community to join them for the big Sunday dinner she prepared every week, just as she had done back home in Alabama. Their German neighbors stopped by often to enjoy some down-home Southern cooking, including cornbread. To them it was a novelty but to the Leonards it was a taste of home. When the Army sent Bill to the battle fields of Korea, he was thrust into a ...