Sergeant Stanley Bender Bridge

Sergeant Stanley Bender (October 31, 1909 – June 22, 1994), 3rd American Infantry Division - 3rd US Infantry Division – Company E.

On August 17, 1944 in La Londe les Maures (France) he performed an act of bravery which earned him a citation.

«"Deliberately advanced a distance of 40 meters in open terrain, visible to German soldiers, under a hail of Allied and enemy fire until he reached a first machine gun which he disabled in a single short burst.

He made his way through the heart of the combat zone despite grenade explosions, heading towards a second machine gun 25 meters away.
As the two crewmen operating it swept the area and fired two bursts in its direction, it bravely continued under fire and, reaching the top of the position, neutralized the device.
Instructing his men to occupy the shell holes, he advanced another 35 meters to kill an enemy sniper. He led his group to the destruction of eight enemy strongpoints.
His audacity so impressed the rest of the company that the men left their positions to charge, shouting and yelling, overwhelming the enemy roadblock and infiltrating the town, destroying two anti-tank guns, killing 37 Germans and capturing 26 others.
He led his men in an attack that overwhelmed the enemy, destroyed a roadblock, captured a town, seized the bridge over the Maravenne River, and captured the sector command.»
(the sector covered the Val Rose – Saint Honoré and La Pabourette area)

With his section, he will wait for the arrival of the US armored vehicles and on the morning of August 18th he will cross the liberated city.

Sergeant Stanley Bender died on June 22, 1994 at the age of 85.
He is buried in High Lawn Cemetery (city of Fayette) in West Virginia, USA (location "section A - lot 360"). A bridge and a museum bearing his name are dedicated to him.

The highest distinction of the United States of America, "The Medal of Honor," was awarded to him in 1984 for the 40th anniversary of the landing in Provence.