[Mil.com] Matt Urban was a decorated World War II soldier with more lives than any cat. He was wounded seven times in combat, then returned to lead his men six times -- and has the Purple Hearts to prove it.Urban served in the Army throughout the duration of WWII, somehow surviving numerous wounds that might have killed anyone else. His official list of feats is so long, he was one Distinguished Service Cross short of surpassing Audie Murphy as the war's most decorated American soldier.
But he didn't receive his Medal of Honor until 1980 because the required paperwork somehow got lost in the shuffle. It was the men he served with in 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division who ultimately ensured that President Jimmy Carter awarded him America's highest award for conspicuous gallantry.
Born Matthew Urbanowicz, Urban began college at Cornell University in Upstate New York, where he joined the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps. Upon graduating in 1941, Matt Urban (who formally changed his name after the war) was commissioned a second lieutenant and joined the infantry at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
When the United States entered World War II, Urban was on the ground from the first day of the Invasion of North Africa until the last day of the war in Europe, leaving Germany with the rest of his troops. In between, he fought in Sicily, landed at Utah Beach on D-Day, and advanced into Belgium.
Along the way, the Germans dubbed him "The Ghost," because no matter how many times they thought they had finally killed him, Urban seemed to respawn. His ability to recover and rejoin his men surprised the U.S. Army just as much. Urban snuck away from medical tents, transport ships and hospitals just to return to the fight alongside his men in the 60th Infantry.