| Leonard Alfred Funk Jr. | |
| Birth Date: | 27 August 1916 |
| Birth Place: | Braddock Township, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Death Place: | Braddock Hills, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Placeofburial: | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance: | United States |
| Branch: | United States Army |
| Serviceyears: | 1941–1945 |
| Rank: | First Sergeant |
| Unit: | Company C, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment |
| Battles: | |
| Awards: | Medal of Honor Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart (3) Croix de guerre w/ palm (Belgium) |
First Sergeant Leonard Alfred Funk Jr. (August 27, 1916 – November 20, 1992) was a United States Army Medal of Honor recipient and one of the most decorated soldiers and paratroopers of World War II. While serving with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (508th PIR), then part of the 82nd Airborne Division, he also received the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal, and three Purple Hearts.
Funk was born on August 27, 1916, in Braddock Township, Pennsylvania. His mother died when he was a small boy. After graduating high school in 1934 Funk worked as a clerk before being drafted.[1]
Funk was drafted into the United States Army from Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, in June 1941.[2] The following year, after the United States entered World War II, he volunteered for the paratroopers, part of the U.S. Army's newly created airborne forces. After completing his training and earning his jump wings, he was assigned to Company 'C' of the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (508th PIR), then stationed in Camp Blanding, Florida. He was to serve with the 508th throughout the war and went with the regiment to England in late 1943, where they became part of the veteran 82nd Airborne Division. He jumped into Normandy with the 508th on D-Day, 6 June 1944. It was during the Normandy action that Funk would receive his Silver Star.
Funk would next participate in the ill-fated Operation Market Garden parachuting into Holland on 17 September 1944. During the offensive Funk would lead a three-man team to destroy German anti-aircraft guns earning him the Distinguished Service Cross.[3]
On 29 January 1945, during the Battle of the Bulge, he was serving as the first sergeant of his company in, Belgium when he encountered a group of more than 80 German soldiers, most of whom had previously been captured by American forces but, with the help of a German patrol, had managed to overwhelm their guards. Despite being greatly outnumbered, Funk opened fire and called for the captured American guards to seize the Germans' weapons. He and the guards successfully killed or re-captured all of the German soldiers. By the end of the battle Funk was serving as interim company executive officer. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on September 5, 1945.[4]
Funk was honorably discharged in June 1945.[5]
Funk worked for the Veteran's Administration after the war and retired in 1972 as Division Chief with the Pittsburgh Regional Office.[6] He had two daughters.[7] In 1950 Funk was appointed an honorary First Lieutenant in the Army Reserves in recognition of his service as acting executive officer for Charlie Company during December 1944 and January 1945. He died at age 76 after a battle with cancer and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery plot 35–2373–4, in Arlington County, Virginia. At the time of his death he was the last living Medal of Honor recipient from the 82nd Airborne Division from World War II.[8] A cenotaph was erected at the Camp Blanding Memorial Park after his death in recognition his contributions to the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment which was stood up and trained at Camp Blanding. In 1995, a section of road where he lived was renamed the Leonard A. Funk Jr. Highway. In May 2018, he was inducted into the 82nd Airborne Division's Hall of Fame.[9] On 26 May 2023, the McKeesport, PA Post Office, was dedicated to First Sergeant Leonard A. Funk Jr.[10]
| Army Presidential Unit Citation | |||
First Sergeant Funk's official Medal of Honor citation reads: