Sylvester Antolak joined the US Army in 1941 and served until his death in 1944. He entered the military in St. Clairsville, Ohio, as a Sergeant (Sgt) of Company B, 15th Infantry of the 3rd Infantry Division. Antolak died in service to his country while valiantly working to break through the German defenses on the Anzio beachhead in Italy. The actions of Sgt. Antolak on May 24, 1944, near Cisterna di Littoria earned him a Medal of Honor.
During the second day of fighting, Sgt. Antolak determined to take out a German machine gun nest so as to continue to break through German control of the Anzio beachhead. With 200 yards of flat, uncovered terrain between him and the German stronghold, Antolak fearlessly charged across this space to reach and destroy the machine gun nest. Leading his squad by 30 yards, Antolak kept pushing forward, despite the rain of machine gun, machine pistol, and rifle fire from the enemy. Antolak was brought to the ground three times by bullets piercing his flesh, but each time, Antolak rose to his feet in spite of his injuries to continue his forward motion. At 15 yards from the German stronghold, Antolak used his submachine gun to kill two Germans and capture the remaining ten, though his right arm was completely shattered. Despite being desperately in need of medical attention, Antolak steadfastly organized his squad in order to move onto the next grouping of German soldiers, 100 yards away. He raced toward the next strong point until a swathe of bullets brought him down. However, his squad continued to ride on the tide of his momentum and went on to capture the intended target. In total, Sgt Antolak killed 20 Germans, captured a machine gun nest, and cleared the way for his company to move forward by his sheer will and valor in the face of danger.
In addition to the Medal of Honor, Antolak received the Purple Heart. A ship was named after him, and, more recently, in 2017, a section of highway in Belmont County, Ohio (near his hometown), was named after him as well. The first episode in Medal of Honor (2018), a Netflix TV series, tells Antolak's story. He is portrayed by actor Joseph Cross.
Sources Consulted:
Army Website, Medal of Honor Recipients, WWII
The National Archives, Access to the Archival Databases, Enlistment Records
Recommended Reading:
Murphy, Audie L. To Hell and Back. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC., 2002.
