Nicholas Minue

Private, U.S. Army

Medal of Honor Recipient

World War II

Private Nicholas Minue (13 March 1905 - 28 April 1943) was a U.S. Army soldier who was posthumously awarded the U.S. military's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor for his heroic acts during World War II.

Nicholas Minue was born in Sedden, Poland, and he enlisted in the U.S. Army in Carteret, NJ. After 16 years of service he had reached the rank of Sergeant but, wanting to serve in a combat unit, he gave up his rank and went overseas with Company A, 6th Armored Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, as a private, in 1942. On 28 April 1943 near MedjezelBab, Tunisia, he charged a group of German soldiers whose machine-gun position was halting the advance of his unit. After destroying that position, he charged other gun emplacements and was killed during the charge. For his heroism, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company A, 6th Armored Infantry, 1st Armored Division.

Place and date: Near MedjezelBab, Tunisia, 28 April 1943.

Citation: For distinguishing himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the loss of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy on 28 April 1943, in the vicinity of MedjezelBab, Tunisia. When the advance of the assault elements of Company A was held up by flanking fire from an enemy machinegun nest, Pvt. Minue voluntarily, alone, and unhesitatingly, with complete disregard of his own welfare, charged the enemy's entrenched position with fixed bayonet. Pvt. Minue assaulted the enemy under a withering machinegun and rifle fire, killing approximately 10 enemy machinegunners and riflemen. After completely destroying this position, Pvt. Minue continued forward, routing enemy riflemen from dugout positions until he was fatally wounded. The courage, fearlessness and aggressiveness displayed by Pvt. Minue in the face of inevitable death was unquestionably the factor that gave his company the offensive spirit that was necessary for advancing and driving the enemy from the entire sector.

Honors

In the 1980s a car ferry in New York was named after Pvt. Minue. This ferry appeared in the TV murder mystery Mike Hammer in the episode More Than Murder.

A public elementary school is named in his honor on Post Blvd. in Carteret, NJ.

One of the main roads on Contingency Operating Base Speicher, in Tikrit, Iraq, is named in honor of the 1st Armor Division soldier.

On Fort Bliss, TX, home of the 1st Armored Division, there is a street in the division area named for him.

Death and Burial

Private Nicholas Minue was killed in action on 28 April 1943. He is buried at the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial in Carthage, Tunisia. His grave can be found in Section E, Line 8, Grave 4.