Seventy three years after he single handedly saved his platoon during world war two, Boise medal of honor recipient Arthur Jackson has died.
The 92 year old was one of only five remaining medal of honor recipients from the "Greatest War".
When Jackson landed on a tiny island in the western Pacific on September 15th 1944, he was chosen as point man to destroy Japanese pill boxes.
"I took my pack off and my leggings loaded myself up with grenades and my ammo and said I'm ready, and i took off," said Jackson in a previous interview.
Dodging massive fire, the young marine miraculously reached the first of 12 pillboxes that day.
"I had a white phosphorus grenade and threw it in. And the smoke just poured out of there."
Then he tossed in a huge pack of C-2 explosive and dived for cover. He repeated that feat killing 50 enemy soldiers before the day was through. His exploits are memorialized at the Idaho Military History Museum where Gail Alvarez was lucky enough to interview Jackson.
"He was a national treasure. A very humble man. He didn't seek the spotlight or the glory. He felt like he wore the medal for the others, not for himself. He wore it for those that didn't make it back," said Alvarez
President Truman bestowed the medal of honor on Jackson the same day fighter ace Pappy Boyington received his.
Jackson said he could never figure out why the Japanese didn't come after him. He said they must have thought it was an invasion force instead of just one man.
"I didn't even know what i was getting into. I was just a damn good man and had a lucky day."
