Russell Dunham | Medal of Honor winner, 89

Russell Dunham, 89, a World War II veteran who was awarded the Medal of Honor for killing nine German soldiers and taking two others captive despite being wounded himself, died Monday in Godfrey, Ill.

Mr. Dunham never considered himself a hero on Jan. 8, 1945, when he charged a hill near Kayserberg, France, despite being wounded in the back, stepdaughter Annette Wilson said. He was a technical sergeant in the Army when he "single-handedly assaulted three enemy machine guns," according to the Medal of Honor's official Web site.

Wearing a white robe made of a mattress cover, Mr. Dunham toted a dozen carbine magazines and had 12 hand grenades snagged in his belt, suspenders, and buttonholes when he charged the snow-covered hill under fire from two machine-gunners and German riflemen, according to the profile.

He was within 10 yards of one of the enemy machine guns when he jumped to his feet and charged. A round from a rifle seared a 10-inch gash across his back, sending him spinning 15 yards downhill into the snow. By the end of the attack, Mr. Dunham had fired about 175 rounds of ammunition and used 11 grenades.

After the war, Mr. Dunham spent three decades working for the Veterans Administration before retiring in 1975.

- AP