05/29/2023
Throughout U.S. history, our citizens have answered the call of duty and fought to protect the freedom we so dearly cherish. Many of the those people made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives in defense of our nation. On Memorial Day, we pause to remember their service and to say thank you. To honor the true spirit of this holiday, the Hillsboro Police Officers’ Association reflects on the lives of three Oregonians who were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions.
1st Sgt. Maximo Yabes
US Army
Vietnam War
Eugene, OR
On February 26, 1967, 1st Sgt. Yabes was participating in a land clearing operation near Phu Hoa D**g in the Republic of Vietnam when his company came under attack by a battalion sized element of Viet Cong. His citation reads in part:
"The command post received increasingly heavy fire and was in danger of being overwhelmed. When several enemy gr***des landed within the command post, 1st Sgt. Yabes shouted a warning and used his body as a shield to protect others in the bunker. Although painfully wounded by numerious gr***de fragments, and despite the vicious enemy fire on the bunker, he remained there to provide covering fire and enable the others in the command group to relocate. When the command group had reached a new position, 1st Sgt. Yabes moved through a withering hail of enemy fire to another bunker 50 meters away. There he secured a gr***de launcher from a fallen comrade and fired point-blank into the attacking Viet Cong, stopping further pe*******on of the perimeter. Noting two wounded men helpless in the fire-swept area, he moved them to a safer position where they could be given medical treatment. He resumed his accurate and effective fire, killing several enemy soldiers and forcing others to withdraw from the vicinity of the command post. As the battle continued, he observed an enemy machine gun within the perimeter which threatened the whole position. On his own, he dashed across the exposed area, assaulted the machine gun, killed the crew, destroyed the weapon, and fell mortally wounded.”
Private First Class Stuart Stryker
US Army
World War II
Portland, OR
On March 24, 1945 PFC Stuart Stryker’s company located a large building near Wesel Germany that was being used as an enemy headquarters. The building contained a large force of German soldiers equipped with rifles, machine guns, and artillery. PFC Stryker’s Medal of Honor citation reads:
“One platoon made a frontal assault but was pinned down by intense fire from the house after advancing only 50 yards. So badly stricken that it could not return the raking fire, the platoon was at the mercy of the German machine gunners when Pfc. Stryker voluntarily left a place of comparative safety, and, armed with a carbine, ran to the head of the unit. In full view of the enemy and under constant fire, he exhorted the men to get to their feet and follow him. Inspired by his fearlessness, they rushed after him in a desperate charge through an increased hail of bullets. Twenty-five yards from the objective the heroic soldier was killed by the enemy fusillades. His gallant and wholly voluntary action in the face of overwhelming firepower, however, so encouraged his comrades and diverted the enemy's attention that other elements of the company were able to surround the house, capturing more than 200 hostile soldiers and much equipment, besides freeing three members of an American bomber crew held prisoner there.”
Sergeant First Class Loren Kaufman
US Army
Korean Conflict
The Dalles, OR
On September 4, 1950, SFC Kaufman’s company was in a defensive position on two adjoining hills in Yongsan, Korea when it came under attack by an enemy battalion. SFC Kaufman’s platoon was ordered in as reinforcements. His citation reads:
"As his unit moved along a ridge it encountered a hostile encircling force. Sfc. Kaufman, running forward, bayoneted the lead scout and engaged the column in a rifle and gr***de assault. His quick, vicious attack so surprised the enemy that they retreated in confusion. When his platoon joined the company he discovered that the enemy had taken commanding ground and pinned the company down in a draw. Without hesitation Sfc. Kaufman charged the enemy lines firing his rifle and throwing gr***des. During the action, he bayoneted two enemy and, seizing an unmanned machine gun, delivered deadly fire on the defenders. Following this encounter the company regrouped and resumed the attack. Leading the assault, he reached the ridge, destroyed a hostile machine-gun position, and routed the remaining enemy. Pursuing the hostile troops, he bayoneted two more and then rushed a mortar position, shooting the gunners. Remnants of the enemy fled to a village and Sfc. Kaufman led a patrol into the town, dispersed them, and burned the buildings.”
SFC Kaufman survived this engagement, but he was later killed in action during another operation on February 10, 1951.
These are just a few examples of the sacrifices made by our fellow Oregonians. For information on other veterans who gave their lives in service of their country, you can visit the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s webpage located at
The Society’s membership is comprised of those who wear the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest military award for valor. Through the Society's Outreach, Education and History initiatives, the Medal of Honor Recipients continue their service across the nation.
