From Holocaust to Medal of Honor: Tibor Ruben’s Heroism

Tibor Rubin’s Long Road from Mauthausen to Glory

The National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas tells the story of America’s most unlikely war hero.

Tibor Rubin survived fourteen months in a Nazi death camp, then made a promise to the American soldiers who freed him.

He would become a GI Joe and serve the country that saved his life.

After immigrating to New York in 1948, Rubin enlisted and fought in Korea despite facing deadly antisemitism from his own sergeant.

Rubin survived them all and earned multiple Medal of Honor recommendations that were buried for fifty-five years.

The museum’s interactive exhibits bring Rubin’s incredible journey from Holocaust survivor to American hero to life.

A Teenager’s Desperate Escape Ended in Capture

In March 1944, 13-year-old Tibor Rubin tried to run away from Hungary to reach Switzerland but German soldiers caught him near the Swiss-Italian border.

His father Ferenc and stepmother Rosa sent him away hoping he’d be safe from Nazi attacks. Tibor traveled with Polish people on the run, but they all got caught.

The Germans split Tibor from his family, who went to different camps. This failed escape started Tibor’s 14-month horror in Nazi camps, changing his life forever.

Nightmare Began at Austria’s Deadliest Camp

Tibor ended up at the feared Mauthausen-Gusen camp in Austria while his family went elsewhere.

He met Dr.Josef Mengele, who sent prisoners either left to gas chambers or right to work camps. His mother and sister went left, and Tibor never saw them again.

Mauthausen ran from August 1938 until May 1945, killing about half of its 190,000 prisoners through hunger, sickness, and cruelty.

The camp’s awful conditions stuck with Tibor, who later told how all prisoners became skinny, sick, dirty, and lice-covered.

American Soldiers Freed a Dying Jewish Boy

The U.S. 11th Armored Division of General Patton’s 3rd Army freed Mauthausen on May 5, 1945. Tibor lay so sick, he barely noticed going to an American field hospital.

When he woke up, he saw a red-haired nurse and weakly tapped her boot, asking “America? ” She nodded yes.

The American medical staff touched and cared for the survivors without fear, showing kindness to people in terrible shape.

Tibor, now 15, had lived through two years in one of the Nazis’ worst death camps.

The Boy Made a Promise to His Liberators

Tibor swore he would thank the Americans by moving to the United States and joining their army.

His love for America started years earlier in his Hungarian village of Pásztó, where he watched American Westerns, crime films, and horror movies at the local theater.

The young survivor promised himself he would become a “GI Joe” and fight with the soldiers who saved him.

“I was going to go to the U.S. and join the U.S. army to show my thanks,” Tibor later said. This promise shaped every choice he made afterward.

His Path to America Came with Hurdles

Tibor moved to the United States in 1948 and got jobs as a shoemaker and butcher in New York City. He tried to sign up in 1949 but failed the English test.

During his second try, Tibor peeked at other recruits’ answers and copied them. After finishing, he learned the sergeant wanted to see him.

To his surprise, Tibor had somehow gotten the highest score on the test.

This lucky break let him finally join the Army in 1950, bringing him closer to keeping his promise to serve the country that saved him.

Hatred Followed Him into the U.S. Military

Private First Class Rubin joined I Company, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division under Sergeant Arthur Peyton, who always called him “that f***ing Jew.”

This World War II veteran from Texas showed nasty hatred toward Tibor. Peyton regularly gave Rubin the most dangerous missions, hoping to get him killed.

“He used to call me such bad names that I forgot my name was Tibor Rubin,” he later told reporters. Fellow soldiers warned Tibor to stay away from the sergeant.

One Man Held Off an Enemy Battalion Alone

North Korean forces attacked on August 4, 1950, pushing UN troops back during the Battle of Pusan Perimeter.

Sergeant Peyton “volunteered” Rubin to stay behind alone on a hill guarding the Taegu-Pusan Road, promising, “We’ll come back for you.”

For 24 hours, Tibor fought off waves of North Korean soldiers by himself. “The Koreans were coming up the hill. There were so many, they looked like ants,” he recalled.

He caused massive losses to the enemy, single-handedly slowing their advance and letting his unit retreat safely.

Bigotry Blocked His Medal Recommendations

Two commanding officers put Rubin up for the Medal of Honor four separate times. Both officers died in combat soon after, but not before ordering Sergeant Peyton.

Corporal Harold Speakman later wrote in a sworn statement:

“I really believe, in my heart, that the sergeant would have risked his own safety rather than help in any way in giving the Medal of Honor to a person of Jewish descent.”

Many soldiers saw Peyton ignore these orders on purpose.

Chinese Forces Captured Him at Unsan

Chinese troops attacked Rubin’s unit at Unsan, North Korea on October 30, 1950, during a massive nighttime assault.

Despite his own injuries, he tried carrying Corporal Leonard Hamm to safety, but they faced too many Chinese and North Korean soldiers.

Tibor kept firing his machine gun until he ran out of bullets. Ordered to leave wounded men behind and retreat right away, Tibor refused to abandon his friends.

The battle ended with Corporal Rubin badly wounded and captured by Chinese forces, starting another round of suffering for the Holocaust survivor.

Heroism Continued Inside Enemy Prison Camp

Tibor ended up at Pukchin Mining POW Camp, which American prisoners called “Death Valley. ” Former Sergeant Leo A.

Cormier Jr. remembered, “No one wanted to help anyone. Everybody was for himself. ”

Almost every night, Rubin snuck out of camp to steal food from Chinese and North Korean supply depots, knowing he risked execution if caught.

“He shared the food evenly among the GIs,” Cormier wrote. Tibor’s actions saved at least 40 American soldiers who might otherwise have died.

Tibor also nursed sick prisoners and carried them to latrines, explaining these were “mitzvahs” in Jewish tradition.

Justice Finally Came After Half a Century

The U.S. Army commissioned a study in 1993 to investigate racial discrimination.

Congress passed the “Leonard Kravitz Jewish War Veterans Act” in 2001 to help recognize minority service members who deserved medals.

President George W. Bush finally presented the Medal of Honor to Tibor Rubin in a White House ceremony in 2005, 55 years after his heroic actions.

At age 76, Tibor became the only Holocaust survivor to receive America’s highest military decoration.

His extraordinary journey from concentration camp prisoner to American hero came full circle, though decades too late for the humble man.

Visiting Tibor Ruben artifacts at National Medal of Honor Museum

The National Medal of Honor Museum at 1861 AT&T Way in Arlington displays Tibor Rubin artifacts telling his incredible story from Holocaust survivor to Korean War hero.

You need timed tickets, so buy them ahead of your visit.

The museum opens daily from 10am to 5pm. Active military get free admission with ID, veterans save $30, and kids 6 and under enter free.

Leave big bags at home since anything over 12″ x 12″ x 6″ isn’t allowed inside.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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