Top Ten Toughest Men to Have Ever Lived

JimBowie1958

Old Fogey
Sep 25, 2011
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By 'tough' I mean men who have overcome some diversity and class discrimination to achieve their goals and were personally hard to kill. I am not saying each of them could beat up anyone else in an MMA ring, but in real life with any tools at their disposal, I wouldnt bet against them in any normal situation.

10) Rocky Marciano - he boxed undersized all his career and beat the best of his time and avoided no one. Only Pro heavy weight to retire undefeated. Several fights he finished while badly injured, once with a split nose.

9) Desmond Doss - saved 75 lives in a major island battle in WW2 Pacific theater while under fire. Received Congressional Medal of Honor

8) Waverly Woodson - WW2 medic who treated 200 soldiers on D Day, before finally collapsing of his own wounds.

7) Cochise - Apache warrior who led one of the last major Indian wars against the USA. He excelled in desert warfare and was as rugged as they come.

6) Ghenghis Khan - He did not inherit his fathers position as cheif of his tribe and fought, ran and hid for years avoiding capture by a scoundrel who tried to cheat him of his position. Ghenghis developed such a reputation for cleverness, ferociousness and cunning he attracted a large following that helped him to defeat his tribes usurper and regain his leadership position. He then conquored most of Asia.

5) Alexander the great was a battle hardened warrior who often found himself isolated and surrounded by the enemy because he was too excited to take the attack to them. But he always fought his way out. In one seige, he fell off the wall and into the city he was trying to capture and was surrounded by about 20 men. Alexander fought his way out and went on to conquor the Persian Empire.

4) Audie Murphy -
"His first Silver Star came after he killed four and wounded three at a German machine gun position on 2 October at L'Omet quarry in the Cleurie river valley.[49] Three days later, Murphy crawled alone towards the Germans at L'Omet, carrying an SCR-536 radio and directing his men for an hour while the Germans fired directly at him. When his men finally took the hill, 15 Germans had been killed and 35 wounded. Murphy's actions earned him a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Silver Star.[58] He was awarded a battlefield commission to second lieutenant on 14 October, which elevated him to platoon leader.[59] While en route to Brouvelieures on 26 October, the 3rd Platoon of Company B was attacked by a German sniper group. Murphy captured two before being shot in the hip by a sniper; he returned fire and shot the sniper between the eyes. At the 3rd General Hospital at Aix-en-Provence,[60] the removal of gangrene from the wound caused partial loss of his hip muscle and kept him out of combat until January.[49] Murphy received his first Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Purple Heart for this injury.[61][62]
"The Colmar Pocket, 850 square miles (2,200 km2) in the Vosges Mountains, had been held by German troops since November 1944.[63] On 14 January 1945, Murphy rejoined his platoon, which had been moved to the Colmar area in December.[64] He moved with the 3rd Division on 24 January to the town of Holtzwihr, where they faced a strong German counterattack.[65] He was wounded in both legs, for which he received a second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Purple Heart.[66] As the company awaited reinforcements on 26 January, he was made commander of Company B.[67]
"The Germans scored a direct hit on an M10 tank destroyer, setting it alight, forcing the crew to abandon it.[68] Murphy ordered his men to retreat to positions in the woods, remaining alone at his post, shooting his M1 carbine and directing artillery fire via his field radio while the Germans aimed fire directly at his position.[69] Murphy mounted the abandoned, burning tank destroyer and began firing its .50 caliber machine gun at the advancing Germans, killing a squad crawling through a ditch towards him.[70] For an hour, Murphy stood on the flaming tank destroyer returning German fire from foot soldiers and advancing tanks, killing or wounding 50 Germans. He sustained a leg wound during his stand, and stopped only after he ran out of ammunition. Murphy rejoined his men, disregarding his own injury, and led them back to repel the Germans. He insisted on remaining with his men while his wounds were treated.[68]
"For his actions that day, he was awarded the Medal of Honor."

3) Andrew Jackson - the man engaged in many Indian wars, the War of 1812 defending New Orleans, and bore his wounds through life, becoming President later. He accidentally tore open an old dueling wound while going down the stairs at the White House and nearly died, but lived years more. He earned the nickname 'Old Hickory' from his men due to his legendary toughness and resilience.

2) Hugh Glass - The subject of the movie 'The Revenant', Glass was left for dead by his companions after being mauled badly by a grizzly bear (which he killed btw) and then crawled hundreds of miles back to his base where he regained his health and hunted down the men who abandoned him.

1) Rasputin - a tough old Russian peasant mystic, Rasputin was the subject of an attempted assassination.


On 12 July [O.S. 29 June] 1914 a 33-year-old peasant woman named Chionya Guseva attempted to assassinate Rasputin by stabbing him in the stomach outside his home in Pokrovskoye.[57] Rasputin was seriously wounded, and for a time it was not clear that he would survive.[58] After surgery[59] and some time in a hospital in Tyumen,[60] he recovered.
Guseva was a follower of Iliodor, a former priest who had supported Rasputin before denouncing his sexual escapades and self-aggrandizement in December 1911.[61][62] A radical conservative and anti-semite, Iliodor had been part of a group of establishment figures who had attempted to drive a wedge between the royal family and Rasputin in 1911. When this effort failed, Iliodor was banished from Saint Petersburg and was ultimately defrocked.[61][63] Guseva claimed to have acted alone, having read about Rasputin in the newspapers and believing him to be a "false prophet and even an Antichrist".[64] Both the police and Rasputin, however, believed that Iliodor had played some role in the attempt on Rasputin's life.[61] Iliodor fled the country before he could be questioned about the assassination attempt, and Guseva was found to be not responsible for her actions by reason of insanity.[61]
Death
Felix Yusupov (1914) married Irina Aleksandrovna Romanova, the Tsar's niece.
A group of nobles led by Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and right-wing politician Vladimir Purishkevich decided that Rasputin's influence over the tsarina had made him a threat to the empire, and they concocted a plan in December 1916 to kill him, apparently by luring him to the Yusupovs' Moika Palace.[65][66]
Basement of the Yusupov Palace on the Moika in St. Petersburg where Rasputin was murdered
The wooden Bolshoy Petrovsky Bridge, from which Rasputin's body was thrown into the Malaya Nevka River
Rasputin was murdered during the early morning on 30 December [O.S. 17 December] 1916 at the home of Felix Yusupov. He died of three gunshot wounds, one of which was a close-range shot to his forehead. Little is certain about his death beyond this, and the circumstances of his death have been the subject of considerable speculation. According to historian Douglas Smith, "what really happened at the Yusupov home on 17 December will never be known".[67] The story that Yusupov recounted in his memoirs, however, has become the most frequently told version of events.[68]
Rasputin's body with bullet wound in forehead
Yusupov claimed that he invited Rasputin to his home shortly after midnight and ushered him into the basement. Yusupov offered Rasputin tea and cakes which had been laced with cyanide. Rasputin initially refused the cakes but then began to eat them and, to Yusupov's surprise, he did not appear to be affected by the poison.[69] Rasputin then asked for some Madeira wine (which had also been poisoned) and drank three glasses, but still showed no sign of distress. At around 2:30 am, Yusupov excused himself to go upstairs, where his fellow conspirators were waiting. He took a revolver from Dmitry Pavlovich, then returned to the basement and told Rasputin that he'd "better look at the crucifix and say a prayer", referring to a crucifix in the room, then shot him once in the chest. The conspirators then drove to Rasputin's apartment, with Sukhotin wearing Rasputin's coat and hat in an attempt to make it look as though Rasputin had returned home that night.[70] They then returned to the Moika Palace and Yusupov went back to the basement to ensure that Rasputin was dead.[71] Suddenly, Rasputin leapt up and attacked Yusupov, who freed himself with some effort and fled upstairs. Rasputin followed and made it into the palace's courtyard before being shot by Purishkevich and collapsing into a snowbank. The conspirators then wrapped his body in cloth, drove it to the Petrovsky Bridge, and dropped it into the Malaya Nevka River.[72]
Aftermath
News of Rasputin's murder spread quickly, even before his body was found. According to Douglas Smith, Purishkevich spoke openly about Rasputin's murder to two soldiers and to a policeman who was investigating reports of shots shortly after the event, but he urged them not to tell anyone else.[73] An investigation was launched the next morning.[74] The Stock Exchange Gazette ran a report of Rasputin's death "after a party in one of the most aristocratic homes in the center of the city" on the afternoon of 30 December [O.S. 17 December] 1916.
Two workmen noticed blood on the railing of the Petrovsky Bridge and found a boot on the ice below, and police began searching the area.[75] Rasputin's body was found under the river ice on 1 January (O.S. 19 December) approximately 200 meters downstream from the bridge.[76] Dr. Dmitry Kosorotov, the city's senior autopsy surgeon, conducted an autopsy. Kosorotov's report was lost, but he later stated that Rasputin's body had shown signs of severe trauma, including three gunshot wounds (one at close range to the forehead), a slice wound to his left side, and many other injuries, many of which Kosorotov felt had been sustained post-mortem
 
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10) Rocky Marciano - he boxed undersized all his career and beat the best of his time and avoided no one. Only Pro heavy weight to retire undefeated. Several fights he finished while badly injured, once with a split nose.
9) Desmond Doss - saved 75 lives in a major island battle in WW2 Pacific theater while under fire. Received Congressional Medal of Honor
8) Waverly Woodson - WW2 medica who treated 200 soldiers on D Day, before finally collapsing of his own wounds.
7) Cochise - Apache warrior who led one of the last major Indian wars against the USA. He excelled in desert warfare and was as rugged as they come.
6) Ghenghis Khan - He did not inherit his fathers position as cheif of his tribe and fought, ran and hid for years avoiding capture by a scoundrel who tried to cheat him of his position. Ghenghis developed such a reputation for cleverness, ferociousness and cunning he attracted a large following that helped him to defeat his tribes usurper and regain his leadership position. He then conquored most of Asia.
5) Alexander the great was a battle hardened warrior who often found himself isolated and surrounded by the enemy because he was too excited to take the attack to them. But he always fought his way out. In one seige, he fell off the wall and into the city he was trying to capture and was surrounded by about 20 men. Alexander fought his way out and went on to conquor the Persian Empire.
4) Audie Murphy - "His first Silver Star came after he killed four and wounded three at a German machine gun position on 2 October at L'Omet quarry in the Cleurie river valley.[49] Three days later, Murphy crawled alone towards the Germans at L'Omet, carrying an SCR-536 radio and directing his men for an hour while the Germans fired directly at him. When his men finally took the hill, 15 Germans had been killed and 35 wounded. Murphy's actions earned him a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Silver Star.[58] He was awarded a battlefield commission to second lieutenant on 14 October, which elevated him to platoon leader.[59] While en route to Brouvelieures on 26 October, the 3rd Platoon of Company B was attacked by a German sniper group. Murphy captured two before being shot in the hip by a sniper; he returned fire and shot the sniper between the eyes. At the 3rd General Hospital at Aix-en-Provence,[60] the removal of gangrene from the wound caused partial loss of his hip muscle and kept him out of combat until January.[49] Murphy received his first Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Purple Heart for this injury.[61][62]
"The Colmar Pocket, 850 square miles (2,200 km2) in the Vosges Mountains, had been held by German troops since November 1944.[63] On 14 January 1945, Murphy rejoined his platoon, which had been moved to the Colmar area in December.[64] He moved with the 3rd Division on 24 January to the town of Holtzwihr, where they faced a strong German counterattack.[65] He was wounded in both legs, for which he received a second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Purple Heart.[66] As the company awaited reinforcements on 26 January, he was made commander of Company B.[67]
"The Germans scored a direct hit on an M10 tank destroyer, setting it alight, forcing the crew to abandon it.[68] Murphy ordered his men to retreat to positions in the woods, remaining alone at his post, shooting his M1 carbine and directing artillery fire via his field radio while the Germans aimed fire directly at his position.[69] Murphy mounted the abandoned, burning tank destroyer and began firing its .50 caliber machine gun at the advancing Germans, killing a squad crawling through a ditch towards him.[70] For an hour, Murphy stood on the flaming tank destroyer returning German fire from foot soldiers and advancing tanks, killing or wounding 50 Germans. He sustained a leg wound during his stand, and stopped only after he ran out of ammunition. Murphy rejoined his men, disregarding his own injury, and led them back to repel the Germans. He insisted on remaining with his men while his wounds were treated.[68]
"For his actions that day, he was awarded the Medal of Honor."
3) Andrew Jackson - the man engaged in many Indian wars, the War of 1812 defending New Orleans, and bore his wounds through life, becoming President later. He accidentally tore open an old dueling wound while going down the stairs at the White House and nearly died, but lived years more. He earned the nickname 'Old Hickory' from his men due to his legendary toughness and resilience.
2) Hugh Glass - The subject of the movie 'The Revenant', Glass was left for dead by his companions after being mauled badly by a grizzly bear (which he killed btw) and then crawled hundreds of miles back to his base where he regained his health and hunted down the men who abandoned him.
1) Rasputin - a tough old Russian peasant mystic, Rasputin was the subject of an attempted assassination.
On 12 July [O.S. 29 June] 1914 a 33-year-old peasant woman named Chionya Guseva attempted to assassinate Rasputin by stabbing him in the stomach outside his home in Pokrovskoye.[57] Rasputin was seriously wounded, and for a time it was not clear that he would survive.[58] After surgery[59] and some time in a hospital in Tyumen,[60] he recovered.
Guseva was a follower of Iliodor, a former priest who had supported Rasputin before denouncing his sexual escapades and self-aggrandizement in December 1911.[61][62] A radical conservative and anti-semite, Iliodor had been part of a group of establishment figures who had attempted to drive a wedge between the royal family and Rasputin in 1911. When this effort failed, Iliodor was banished from Saint Petersburg and was ultimately defrocked.[61][63] Guseva claimed to have acted alone, having read about Rasputin in the newspapers and believing him to be a "false prophet and even an Antichrist".[64] Both the police and Rasputin, however, believed that Iliodor had played some role in the attempt on Rasputin's life.[61] Iliodor fled the country before he could be questioned about the assassination attempt, and Guseva was found to be not responsible for her actions by reason of insanity.[61]
Death
Felix Yusupov (1914) married Irina Aleksandrovna Romanova, the Tsar's niece.
A group of nobles led by Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and right-wing politician Vladimir Purishkevich decided that Rasputin's influence over the tsarina had made him a threat to the empire, and they concocted a plan in December 1916 to kill him, apparently by luring him to the Yusupovs' Moika Palace.[65][66]
Basement of the Yusupov Palace on the Moika in St. Petersburg where Rasputin was murdered
The wooden Bolshoy Petrovsky Bridge, from which Rasputin's body was thrown into the Malaya Nevka River
Rasputin was murdered during the early morning on 30 December [O.S. 17 December] 1916 at the home of Felix Yusupov. He died of three gunshot wounds, one of which was a close-range shot to his forehead. Little is certain about his death beyond this, and the circumstances of his death have been the subject of considerable speculation. According to historian Douglas Smith, "what really happened at the Yusupov home on 17 December will never be known".[67] The story that Yusupov recounted in his memoirs, however, has become the most frequently told version of events.[68]
Rasputin's body with bullet wound in forehead
Yusupov claimed that he invited Rasputin to his home shortly after midnight and ushered him into the basement. Yusupov offered Rasputin tea and cakes which had been laced with cyanide. Rasputin initially refused the cakes but then began to eat them and, to Yusupov's surprise, he did not appear to be affected by the poison.[69] Rasputin then asked for some Madeira wine (which had also been poisoned) and drank three glasses, but still showed no sign of distress. At around 2:30 am, Yusupov excused himself to go upstairs, where his fellow conspirators were waiting. He took a revolver from Dmitry Pavlovich, then returned to the basement and told Rasputin that he'd "better look at the crucifix and say a prayer", referring to a crucifix in the room, then shot him once in the chest. The conspirators then drove to Rasputin's apartment, with Sukhotin wearing Rasputin's coat and hat in an attempt to make it look as though Rasputin had returned home that night.[70] They then returned to the Moika Palace and Yusupov went back to the basement to ensure that Rasputin was dead.[71] Suddenly, Rasputin leapt up and attacked Yusupov, who freed himself with some effort and fled upstairs. Rasputin followed and made it into the palace's courtyard before being shot by Purishkevich and collapsing into a snowbank. The conspirators then wrapped his body in cloth, drove it to the Petrovsky Bridge, and dropped it into the Malaya Nevka River.[72]
Aftermath
News of Rasputin's murder spread quickly, even before his body was found. According to Douglas Smith, Purishkevich spoke openly about Rasputin's murder to two soldiers and to a policeman who was investigating reports of shots shortly after the event, but he urged them not to tell anyone else.[73] An investigation was launched the next morning.[74] The Stock Exchange Gazette ran a report of Rasputin's death "after a party in one of the most aristocratic homes in the center of the city" on the afternoon of 30 December [O.S. 17 December] 1916.
Two workmen noticed blood on the railing of the Petrovsky Bridge and found a boot on the ice below, and police began searching the area.[75] Rasputin's body was found under the river ice on 1 January (O.S. 19 December) approximately 200 meters downstream from the bridge.[76] Dr. Dmitry Kosorotov, the city's senior autopsy surgeon, conducted an autopsy. Kosorotov's report was lost, but he later stated that Rasputin's body had shown signs of severe trauma, including three gunshot wounds (one at close range to the forehead), a slice wound to his left side, and many other injuries, many of which Kosorotov felt had been sustained post-mortem
Fantastic post. Thank you. This is THE best post I've read today. VERY informative, nicely done.
 
rasputin? I guess I got some reading to do
He was ONE tough sonofabitch. Actually READ the OP and you'll see why.
right, no offense, but I will read Massie, and make my decision based on what he wrote. Top ten toughest? No Chesty? Hackworth? Or what about Pusser? Rasputin? Like I said, I got some reading to do, but top ten toughest? I do not see it.
 
My choice for the toughest man would go to Medal of Honor recipient Robert Howard who was a Special Forces officer in Vietnam with MACV-SOG (look that up sometime)
He was wounded 14 times during his 54 months (3 tours) fighting in Vietnam.
Howard was nominated 3 times for the Medal of Honor in a 13 month period, and received it on his last nomination.
He also was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (the nations 2nd highest medal), 8 Purple Hearts, Silver Star, 4 Bronze Stars, and many other medals.
 
Talk about tough. I don't see how any human being could do what Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Henry Erwin did. If you have been around phosphorous when ignited, it's so bright it can blind a person, and burns so hot it will melt through steel.

Medal of Honor action

On April 12, 1945, Erwin, called "Red" by his crewmates, was serving as the radio operator aboard a Boeing B-29 Superfortress named City of Los Angeles, piloted by Captain George Simeral. The plane was in formation for a low-level attack on a chemical plant at Koriyama, 120 miles (190 km) north of Tokyo, on their 11th combat mission. Along with their primary jobs, the twelve B-29 crew members had additional duties to perform. Erwin's was to drop phosphorus smoke bombs through a chute in the aircraft's floor when the lead plane reached a designated assembly area. He was given the signal to drop the bombs when the aircraft was just off the south coast of Japan and under attack by anti-aircraft fire and Japanese fighters.

Erwin pulled the pin and released a bomb into the chute, but the fuse malfunctioned and ignited the phosphorus prematurely, burning at 1,100 degrees. The canister flew back up the chute and into Erwin's face, blinding him, searing off one ear and obliterating his nose. Phosphorus pentoxide smoke immediately filled the aircraft, making it impossible for the pilot to see his instrument panel. Erwin was afraid the bomb would burn through the metal floor into the bomb bay. Completely blind, he picked it up and feeling his way, crawled around the gun turret and headed for the copilot's window. His face and arms were covered with ignited phosphorus and his path was blocked by the navigator's folding table, hinged to the wall but down and locked. The navigator had left his table to make a sighting. Erwin couldn't release the table's latches with one hand, so he grabbed the white-hot bomb between his bare right arm and his ribcage. In the few seconds it took to raise the table, the phosphorus burned through his flesh to the bone. His body on fire, he stumbled into the cockpit, threw the bomb out the window and collapsed between the pilot's seats.

The smoke cleared enough for Simeral to pull the B-29 out of a dive at 300 feet (91 m) above the water and turn toward Iwo Jima, where Erwin could be given emergency treatment. His crew members extinguished his burning clothes and administered first aid, but whenever Erwin's burns were uncovered, phosphorus embedded in his skin would begin to smolder; white phosphorus is known to cause extremely terrible wounds, as the burning chemical cannot be extinguished if oxygen is present, and will continue to burn through flesh until it consumes itself or is extracted. It is also toxic. Although in excruciating pain, he remained conscious throughout the flight and spoke only to inquire about the safety of the crew. Once on Iwo Jima the medical personnel who examined Erwin expected him to die.

Army Air Force officials, led by Major General Curtis LeMay and Brigadier General Lauris Norstad, approved Erwin's award of the Medal of Honor in a matter of hours, so a presentation could be made while he still lived. A medal was flown from Hawaii to Guam and presented to him in the hospital there.

However, Erwin survived his burns. He was flown back to the United States, and after 30 months and 41 surgeries, his eyesight was restored and he regained use of one arm. He received a disability discharge as a master sergeant in October 1947. In addition to the Medal of Honor and two Air Medals received earlier in 1945, he was also awarded the Purple Heart, the World War II Victory Medal, the American Campaign Medal, three Good Conduct Medals, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two bronze campaign stars (for participation in the Air Offensive Japan and Western Pacific campaigns), and the Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem.
 
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Talk about tough. I don't see how any human being could do what Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Henry Erwin did. If you have been around phosphorous when ignited, it's so bright it can blind a person, and burns so hot it will melt through steel.

Medal of Honor action

On April 12, 1945, Erwin, called "Red" by his crewmates, was serving as the radio operator aboard a Boeing B-29 Superfortress named City of Los Angeles, piloted by Captain George Simeral. The plane was in formation for a low-level attack on a chemical plant at Koriyama, 120 miles (190 km) north of Tokyo, on their 11th combat mission. Along with their primary jobs, the twelve B-29 crew members had additional duties to perform. Erwin's was to drop phosphorus smoke bombs through a chute in the aircraft's floor when the lead plane reached a designated assembly area. He was given the signal to drop the bombs when the aircraft was just off the south coast of Japan and under attack by anti-aircraft fire and Japanese fighters.

Erwin pulled the pin and released a bomb into the chute, but the fuse malfunctioned and ignited the phosphorus prematurely, burning at 1,100 degrees. The canister flew back up the chute and into Erwin's face, blinding him, searing off one ear and obliterating his nose. Phosphorus pentoxide smoke immediately filled the aircraft, making it impossible for the pilot to see his instrument panel. Erwin was afraid the bomb would burn through the metal floor into the bomb bay. Completely blind, he picked it up and feeling his way, crawled around the gun turret and headed for the copilot's window. His face and arms were covered with ignited phosphorus and his path was blocked by the navigator's folding table, hinged to the wall but down and locked. The navigator had left his table to make a sighting. Erwin couldn't release the table's latches with one hand, so he grabbed the white-hot bomb between his bare right arm and his ribcage. In the few seconds it took to raise the table, the phosphorus burned through his flesh to the bone. His body on fire, he stumbled into the cockpit, threw the bomb out the window and collapsed between the pilot's seats.

The smoke cleared enough for Simeral to pull the B-29 out of a dive at 300 feet (91 m) above the water and turn toward Iwo Jima, where Erwin could be given emergency treatment. His crew members extinguished his burning clothes and administered first aid, but whenever Erwin's burns were uncovered, phosphorus embedded in his skin would begin to smolder; white phosphorus is known to cause extremely terrible wounds, as the burning chemical cannot be extinguished if oxygen is present, and will continue to burn through flesh until it consumes itself or is extracted. It is also toxic. Although in excruciating pain, he remained conscious throughout the flight and spoke only to inquire about the safety of the crew. Once on Iwo Jima the medical personnel who examined Erwin expected him to die.

Army Air Force officials, led by Major General Curtis LeMay and Brigadier General Lauris Norstad, approved Erwin's award of the Medal of Honor in a matter of hours, so a presentation could be made while he still lived. A medal was flown from Hawaii to Guam and presented to him in the hospital there.

However, Erwin survived his burns. He was flown back to the United States, and after 30 months and 41 surgeries, his eyesight was restored and he regained use of one arm. He received a disability discharge as a master sergeant in October 1947. In addition to the Medal of Honor and two Air Medals received earlier in 1945, he was also awarded the Purple Heart, the World War II Victory Medal, the American Campaign Medal, three Good Conduct Medals, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two bronze campaign stars (for participation in the Air Offensive Japan and Western Pacific campaigns), and the Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem.
Wow! THAT'S one tough individual.
 
Rasputin vs Bruce Lee, any of them vs Bruce Lee? Tyson? Ali? Hearns?
Yeah, not in the ring but in real life where any could be armed or improvise a weapon, I would take Audie Murphy or Rasputin any day of the week.

Bruce Lee couldnt karate chop a 12 gauge shot gun blast from Rasputin. If they both shot each other at the same time, my money is on Rasputin coming out of it alive more than Lee.
 
Talk about tough. I don't see how any human being could do what Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Henry Erwin did. If you have been around phosphorous when ignited, it's so bright it can blind a person, and burns so hot it will melt through steel.

Medal of Honor action

On April 12, 1945, Erwin, called "Red" by his crewmates, was serving as the radio operator aboard a Boeing B-29 Superfortress named City of Los Angeles, piloted by Captain George Simeral. The plane was in formation for a low-level attack on a chemical plant at Koriyama, 120 miles (190 km) north of Tokyo, on their 11th combat mission. Along with their primary jobs, the twelve B-29 crew members had additional duties to perform. Erwin's was to drop phosphorus smoke bombs through a chute in the aircraft's floor when the lead plane reached a designated assembly area. He was given the signal to drop the bombs when the aircraft was just off the south coast of Japan and under attack by anti-aircraft fire and Japanese fighters.

Erwin pulled the pin and released a bomb into the chute, but the fuse malfunctioned and ignited the phosphorus prematurely, burning at 1,100 degrees. The canister flew back up the chute and into Erwin's face, blinding him, searing off one ear and obliterating his nose. Phosphorus pentoxide smoke immediately filled the aircraft, making it impossible for the pilot to see his instrument panel. Erwin was afraid the bomb would burn through the metal floor into the bomb bay. Completely blind, he picked it up and feeling his way, crawled around the gun turret and headed for the copilot's window. His face and arms were covered with ignited phosphorus and his path was blocked by the navigator's folding table, hinged to the wall but down and locked. The navigator had left his table to make a sighting. Erwin couldn't release the table's latches with one hand, so he grabbed the white-hot bomb between his bare right arm and his ribcage. In the few seconds it took to raise the table, the phosphorus burned through his flesh to the bone. His body on fire, he stumbled into the cockpit, threw the bomb out the window and collapsed between the pilot's seats.

The smoke cleared enough for Simeral to pull the B-29 out of a dive at 300 feet (91 m) above the water and turn toward Iwo Jima, where Erwin could be given emergency treatment. His crew members extinguished his burning clothes and administered first aid, but whenever Erwin's burns were uncovered, phosphorus embedded in his skin would begin to smolder; white phosphorus is known to cause extremely terrible wounds, as the burning chemical cannot be extinguished if oxygen is present, and will continue to burn through flesh until it consumes itself or is extracted. It is also toxic. Although in excruciating pain, he remained conscious throughout the flight and spoke only to inquire about the safety of the crew. Once on Iwo Jima the medical personnel who examined Erwin expected him to die.

Army Air Force officials, led by Major General Curtis LeMay and Brigadier General Lauris Norstad, approved Erwin's award of the Medal of Honor in a matter of hours, so a presentation could be made while he still lived. A medal was flown from Hawaii to Guam and presented to him in the hospital there.

However, Erwin survived his burns. He was flown back to the United States, and after 30 months and 41 surgeries, his eyesight was restored and he regained use of one arm. He received a disability discharge as a master sergeant in October 1947. In addition to the Medal of Honor and two Air Medals received earlier in 1945, he was also awarded the Purple Heart, the World War II Victory Medal, the American Campaign Medal, three Good Conduct Medals, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two bronze campaign stars (for participation in the Air Offensive Japan and Western Pacific campaigns), and the Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem.
WW2 had a ton of heroes. One could put most of that generation on a heroes list.

But the acheivements of Ghenghis Khan and Rasputin for instance, magnifies the value of how tough they were, I think.
 
Daniel Inouye

As his squad distracted the third machine gunner, Inouye crawled toward the final bunker, coming within 10 yards. As he raised himself up and cocked his arm to throw his last grenade, a German soldier inside the bunker fired a rifle grenade, which struck his right elbow, nearly severing most of his arm and leaving his primed grenade reflexively "clenched in a fist that suddenly didn't belong to me anymore". Inouye's horrified soldiers moved to his aid, but he shouted for them to keep back out of fear his severed fist would involuntarily relax and drop the grenade. While the German inside the bunker reloaded his rifle, Inouye pried the live grenade from his useless right hand and transferred it to his left. The German soldier had just finished reloading and was aiming his rifle to finish him off when Lt. Inouye threw his grenade through the narrow firing slit, killing the German. He stumbled to his feet and continued forward, silencing the last German resistance with a one-handed burst from his Thompson before being wounded in the leg and tumbling unconscious to the bottom of the ridge

Inouye went on to serve as the Senator from Hawaii for 50 years
 
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..I would not necessarily call treating wounded men tough--'''heroic''-- but tough??
there were THOUSANDS of medics that did that
certainly not the toughEST
..I can post a lot more military stories that are REALLY tough---like POWs in Vietnam !!!--lasted for YEARS--not days or weeks---mental and physical
 

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