Photo By Jennifer Fisher | Army Medicine honors 96-year-old World War II Combat Medic SSG Felix J. Lisovich who...... read more read more
Subscribe
OFFICE OF THE U.S. ARMY SURGEON GENERAL, Falls Church, Va. – Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Gragg, U.S. Army Medical Command, will honor the selfless sacrifice and military service of Staff Sgt. Felix J. Lisovich, a 96-year-old World War II combat medic who lives just south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
On behalf of Lt. Gen. Nadja Y. West, U.S. Army Surgeon General and Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command, Gragg will visit the World War II veteran’s hometown of Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, and present Lisovich with a Regimental Honor Certificate, the Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3), and a letter of recognition signed by the Army Surgeon General.
The American Legion will host the presentation on May 28, at 11 a.m., at 820 Broad Avenue, Belle Vernon, PA 15012.
Lisovich left home to serve in the Army on July 10, 1943, and was discharged on Jan. 16, 1946. During his tour of duty, he served as a surgical technician in the Pacific Theater with Medical Detachment, 2nd Battalion, 172th Infantry Regiment, 43rd Infantry Division. He earned the Combat Medic Badge, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and several other campaign medals and citations.
As part of an amphibious operation to liberate the Philippines, Lisovich encountered kamikaze attacks from Japanese Zero fighter planes; participated in the amphibious landing during the Invasion of Luzon; was part of combat patrols in the jungle; and aided in casualty evacuations while under direct and indirect enemy fire.
During combat operations to capture a hill overlooking the Rosario-Damortis Highway and establish a roadblock to stop an enemy retreat route, Lisovich; a medical team consisting of a doctor, an additional surgical technician, and two medical technicians; and two infantrymen encountered a wounded American soldier. The medics provided aid as best they could. Lisovich stopped the bleeding of the wounded infantryman and he and his team started emergency surgery while under sniper fire from the Japanese positions in the jungle.
During the surgery, his group engaged the enemy in a protracted firefight. After an hour, the medical team moved the wounded soldier to safety taking turns carrying him three miles on a litter up a steep tortuous trail.
Following his return home to the U.S., Lisovich continued to use the medical skills he learned in the Army, and from 1979-1997, he volunteered with the Washington Township Fayette City Community Ambulance Service as an emergency medical technician.
Lisovich is one of 12 siblings, three of whom also served in the Army during World War II: Stanley, John, and Andrew. He has three children of his own: Suzanne Zdilla, Lynette Carpenter, and Dan Lisovich. His wife Juanita passed at the age of 85.
Media representatives interested in covering this presentation should contact Stephanie Abdullah, Media Relations Specialist, Office of the Surgeon General, at 703-681-8689 or via email at stephanie.p.abdullah.civ@mail.mil.
Additional information about Army Medicine can be found on the command’s Website at https://armymedicine.health.mil/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/OfficialArmyMedicine.
| Date Taken: | 05.22.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 05.23.2019 17:00 |
| Story ID: | 323712 |
| Location: | BELLE VERNON, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 215 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, MEDIA ADVISORY - Army Medicine to honor 96-year-old World War II Combat Medic, by Stephanie Abdullah, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
