08/26/2026
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On this day, 82 years ago, August 25, 1944, 26-year-old Private Harold A. Garman faced a wall of German lead.
He was an Illinois farm boy drafted into the Army two years prior. Now he served as a combat medic with Company B, 5th Medical Battalion, 5th Infantry Division.
His unit belonged to General George S. Patton's Third Army. They were advancing rapidly across France and had reached Montereau near the Seine River.
American forces established a bridgehead on the northern bank. The Germans fiercely contested any forward movement to halt the Allied breakout.
Casualties mounted quickly in the brutal fighting. Litter bearers used wooden assault boats to evacuate the wounded across the water to the southern shore.
Private Garman stood on the friendly shore. He unloaded bleeding soldiers from the incoming boats and carried them to waiting ambulances.
One assault boat full of wounded men reached the middle of the river. Without warning, a German machine gun opened fire from a commanding position on the northern bank just 100 yards away.
The able-bodied paddlers in the boat immediately abandoned ship. They dived into the water to escape the incoming rounds.
Three severely wounded men were left completely exposed. One soldier was so badly injured he could not move from his litter inside the boat.
The other two patients clung desperately to the sides of the craft. They were unable to swim because of their wounds.
Garman saw the men trapped on the water and reacted instantly. He dropped his gear and plunged into the Seine River.
He swam directly toward the stranded boat as German machine gun bullets slammed into the water all around him. Rounds impacted the river surface inches from his face.
He swam straight through the concentrated fire and reached the craft. Still under heavy and accurately aimed enemy fire, Garman grabbed hold of the boat.
He gripped the wooden hull and began kicking. With tremendous physical effort, he towed the heavy craft and the three helpless men through the water.
He pulled them until they reached the safety of the southern shore. His actions saved three lives and inspired his fellow medics.
Seeing his survival, the other medics immediately grabbed more assault boats and resumed the evacuation under fire. Private Garman was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.
The medal was presented to him by Major General S. LeRoy Irwin on March 29, 1945. He survived the war and returned home to the United States.
He went back to working on farms and later operated a gas station. He settled down in Albion, Illinois.
He lived a quiet life there until he passed away on August 13, 1992, at the age of 74. He is buried in Graceland Cemetery in his hometown.
