Richard Keith Sorenson (August 28, 1924 – October 9, 2004) was a United States Marine who, as a private, received the Medal of Honor during World War II for his heroism during the Marine landing on Kwajalein Atoll on the night of February 1–2, 1944. He threw himself on an exploding Japanese grenade that was part of US munitions captured during the Battle of Bataan, to save the lives of five fellow Marines. Although fragments of the grenade ripped through his thighs, hips, right arm and right leg, he survived the action. Of the 27 Marines who similarly threw themselves on grenades to save the lives of their fellow Marines during World War II, Sorenson was one of only four who lived. Fellow Medal of Honor recipients Richard E. Bush, Jacklyn H. Lucas and Carlton R. Rouh were the other three survivors. After recovering from the wounds, Sorenson continued to serve in the Marine Corps until he was discharged in 1946 at the rank of sergeant. He enlisted in the Reserves in 1947. He reached the rank of master sergeant, received a commission as a Marine Corps officer in 1953 and remained in the Corps until 1955. Biography The son of a U.S. Navy World War I veteran, Sorenson was born in Anoka, Minnesota. He graduated from high school in 1942. World War II Sorenson enlisted in the Marine Corps on December 13, 1942. He reported to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California in January 1943 for recruit training. In April 1943, he joined Company M, 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines, at Camp Pendleton, where he underwent intensive training before sailing for Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands on January 11, 1944. Sorenson landed with his battalion at Namur, Kwajalein, on February 1, 1944. On that first day of the invasion, he was wounded in action, for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. After a fierce night of battle, a Japanese soldier threw a grenade in the midst of his squad. Sorenson threw himself on the grenade and took the explosion's full force. A corpsman tied off a severed artery and covered the severe wounds, and Sorenson was evacuated to a transport to Hawaii. He underwent six surgeries in the next nine months. Sorenson was hospitalized at Pearl Harbor until May, then transferred to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Seattle, Washington. In mid-1944, he was informed that he