tank burning beneath his feet, he directed bursts of machinegun fire on the roadblock, the SP gun, and the supporting German infantrymen, and forced the enemy to withdraw from his prepared position. Jumping off the tank before it exploded, 1st Lt. Tominac refused evacuation despite his painful wound. Calling upon a sergeant to extract the shell fragments from his shoulder with a pocketknife, he continued to direct the assault, led his squad in a hand grenade attack against a fortified position occupied by 32 of the enemy armed with machineguns, machine pistols, and rifles, and compelled them to surrender. His outstanding heroism and exemplary leadership resulted in the destruction of 4 successive enemy defensive positions, surrender of a vital sector of the city Saulx de Vesoul, and the death or capture of at least 60 of the enemy. The Maple Street Bridge in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in his home county of Cambria County, was named the Colonel John Joseph Tominac Memorial Bridge in his honor. See also List of Medal of Honor recipients List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II Notes References 1922 births 1998 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II American people of Croatian descent United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from Cambria County, Pennsylvania United States Army officers Burials at Arlington National Cemetery World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor Military personnel from Pennsylvania