Their Story

Overlooked Valor: The Heroic Sacrifice of Pfc. Lew Y. June
On a frigid winter day in January 1945, Pfc. Lew Y. June, and the rest of Company C, 410th Infantry Regiment, 103rd Infantry Division disembarked from the trucks that had transported them from Niederbronn, France, to the village of Schirrhoffen, about thirty kilometers southeast. Icy sleet pelted their helmets as the troops made their way southeast of Schirrhoffen, into a dense grove of trees. Once deep in the woods, they dug in and waited for orders.
When the order came, the company advanced deeper into the forest, halting just short of a wide firebreak that had been cut through the woods. According to Tony Hillerman, a soldier in Company C, the men could see freshly dug German defenses across the open expanse of the firebreak. Once again, Pfc. June and the rest of the company awaited further instructions.
When the command to attack was finally given, Company C sprinted from cover and charged toward the German lines. Despite enduring heavy fire and suffering numerous casualties, the company reached its objective: the intersection of a narrow road with a rail line and the main highway leading into Sessenheim. Unbeknownst to the men of Company C, they were up against one of the most elite German units on the Western Front, the 6th SS Mountain Division. The German forces, caught off guard by the audacious attack, retreated, allowing the Americans to hastily fortify their position in anticipation of a counterattack.
Pfc. June and his squad were positioned on an embankment, tasked with protecting a machine gun crew. The men of Company C had barely settled into their defensive positions when the SS troops launched a ferocious counterattack. Despite intense American gunfire, the Germans managed to get close enough to hurl grenades behind the American lines.
Pfc. Frank Romano of Alton, Illinois, who was firing a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) at the advancing enemy, recalled hearing someone shout, “Grenade!” He turned just in time to see Pfc. June dive onto the grenade, smothering the blast with his body to protect the other members of his squad. Romano had little time to process what had happened as the Americans were forced to retreat under the relentless German assault. Tragically, Pfc. June’s body was not recovered in the chaos. It was January 18, 1945.
The days following Pfc. June’s death were marked by unrelenting combat and movement for the men of Company C. There was little opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices they had witnessed.
Pfc. June was officially reported missing in action and removed from the company roster on January 29, 1945. In March 1946, American troops searching for the remains of missing soldiers discovered his grave near the site where he had fallen in combat. The Germans had buried him in a marked grave, with a cross and helmet placed above it. His remains were recovered and relocated to the U.S. Cemetery in St. Avold, France.
After the war, Pfc. June’s family requested that his body be returned to the United States. On February 2, 1949, he was laid to rest at Rock Island National Cemetery. Pfc. June joined Company C as a replacement on December 5, 1944, and joined the Army on July 17, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois. At the time, his family lived in Morris, Illinois. Later, his father, Lew C. Hong, and his brother, Lew Yee Pons, moved to Chicago.
Due to the confusion and chaos of war, Pfc. Lew Y. June’s heroic actions were never formally recognized, though his fellow soldiers never forgot his bravery. Decades later, members of the Morris American Legion and the 103rd Infantry Division Association continue to search for Pfc. June’s relatives, seeking to honor the extraordinary sacrifice he made on that frigid winter night near Niederbronn, France.
Historically, the United States awarded the Medal of Honor to soldiers who gave their lives to protect their comrades in the manner that Pfc. June did. However, without locating his surviving family, the government has been unable to bestow this long-overdue recognition for his bravery.


References:
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2890214/lew_yee-june: accessed November 15, 2024), memorial page for PFC Lew Yee June (12 Jun 1924–18 Jan 1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 2890214, citing Rock Island National Cemetery, Rock Island, Rock Island County, Illinois, USA; Maintained by MAJ Jimmy Cotton (contributor 48803557).
A clipping from the Morris Daily Herald regarding Lew Yee June's death. (Photo contributed by Jeff Poundstone)
https://www.shawlocal.com/morris-herald-news/news/local/2023/11/08/wwii-hero-lew-y-june-was-from-morris-and-the-search-is-still-on-for-any-descendents//?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=shareArticleButton&utm_campaign=shareArticleButton Accessed 1/25/2025
Pfc. Lew Yee June 103d Infantry Division Collection, AM21-045, Historical Manuscripts, Special Collections, The University of Southern Mississippi Libraries. https://specialcollections.usm.edu/repositories/3/resources/1477 Accessed 11/16/2024
"Illinois, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945", , Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPWL-LTVW : Thu Mar 07 18:49:33 UTC 2024), Entry for Lew Yee June and None, 29 June 1942.