The Longest Minute: A Single Soldier's 5-Mile Run That Won the Ardennes

During the Battle of the Bulge, Technician 4th Grade John P. Hines was the lone surviving member of a 13-man forward observer team. Surrounded at St. Vith, he carried a SCR-300 radio (weighing 35 lbs) and ran five miles through active German artillery and infantry fire to deliver coordinates for American artillery on three separate occasions over two days. The artillery fire he called in prevented a German breakout that would have encircled the entire northern shoulder of the Ardennes line. He was recommended for the Medal of Honor but received the Silver Star instead — his paperwork was lost during the chaotic retreat.