| Sylvester Antolak | |
| Birth Date: | 10 September 1918 |
| Birth Place: | Fairpoint, Ohio |
| Death Place: | Cisterna di Littoria, Italy |
| Placeofburial: | Sicily–Rome American Cemetery and Memorial |
| Placeofburial Label: | Place of burial |
| Allegiance: | United States of America |
| Branch: | United States Army |
| Serviceyears: | 1941–1944 |
| Rank: | Sergeant |
| Unit: | Company B, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division |
| Battles: | World War II |
| Awards: | Medal of Honor Purple Heart |
Sylvester Antolak (September 10, 1918 - May 24, 1944) was a United States Army Sergeant who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for actions on May 24, 1944. Sergeant Antolak was an American of Polish descent. He joined the army from his hometown of St. Clairsville, Ohio on July 14, 1941.[1] During the Allied invasion of Italy, Sergeant Antolak fought relentlessly to overtake German defenses near Cisterna di Littoria, where he was shot and killed. Despite being shot three times and suffering a broken arm, he continued to push towards a Wehrmacht machine gun, leading his men to overtake their positions.
In his book, To Hell And Back, fellow Medal of Honor recipient Audie L. Murphy refers to Antolak as "Lutsky" and provides the following account of his heroism:[2]
"We roll over the wall and find ourselves in the range of two enemy strong points. But for the moment, the krauts are ignoring us. They are absorbed in trying to split the two groups of men that preceded us.
A sergeant in the first platoon senses the predicament. If his men are isolated, they will likely be destroyed. He makes his decision quickly. Motioning his men to follow, he rises and with a submachine gun charges head-on toward one of the enemy positions two hundred yards away.
On the flat, coverless terrain, his body is a perfect target. A blast of automatic fire knocks him down. He springs to his feet with a bleeding shoulder and continues his charge. The guns rattle. Again he goes down.
Fascinated, we watch as he gets up for the third time and dashes straight into the enemy fire. The Germans throw everything they have at him. He falls to the earth; and when he again pulls himself to his feet, we see that his right arm is shattered. But wedging his gun under his left armpit, he continues firing and staggers forward. Ten horrified Germans throw down their guns and yell "Kamerad".
That is all I see. But later I learn that the sergeant, ignoring the pleas of his men to get under cover and wait for medical attention, charged the second enemy strongpoint. By sheer guts, he advanced sixty yards before being stopped by a final concentration of enemy fire. He reeled, then tottered forward another few yards before falling.
Inspired by his valor and half-insane with rage, his men took over, stormed the kraut emplacement, and captured it. When they returned to their leader, he was dead.
This was how Lutsky, the sergeant, helped buy the freedom that we cherish and abuse."
SGT Antolak's awards include the following:[3]
| Badge | Combat Infantryman Badge | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st row | Medal of Honor | Purple Heart | Army Good Conduct Medal | ||||||||||
| 2nd row | American Campaign Medal | European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal | World War II Victory Medal | ||||||||||