Not every soldier, sailor and Marine who received the Congressional Medal of Honor has been remembered by having a ship, building, institution or even school or street named after him.
Nor is every Medal of Honor recipient in a cemetery in the United States or Europe where he can be honored and remembered by a grateful tourist who makes the trip to honor those who have received the highest military award given by the United States.
Such is the case of Nicholas Minue, a Polish born American who first enlisted during World War I to serve his adopted nation, but went back to serve in World War II, serving with the 6th Armored Infantry, First Armored Division of the US Army.
Very little has been written about Private Minue. His hometown is listed as Carteret and New Jersey is attributed for his Medal of Honor.
Local newspapers do not even give his father’s name, noting his Medal of Honor was presented posthumously to his widowed mother, Mrs. Mary Minue, also a Pole by birth. There is no mention of any siblings, any education, or any jobs the Private held between his two stints in the Army.
What is to know is his bravery, and his love for the United States and his fellow soldiers. Numerous newspapers give brief accounts of how Minue single-handedly conducted his one-man charge against the German enemy near Medjez-El-Ba in Tunisia, destroying their position, ousting enemy riflemen and continuing to fight in a way that truly inspired his fellow soldiers.
For his effort, Pvt. Minue died April 28, 1943, and is now buried at the ABMC North Africa Cemetery in Carthage, Tunisia.
The soldier is one of 2,841 American military killed in military activities from World War II to the Persian Gulf buried in this cemetery There, his stone is neatly set in one of the straight lines of headstones in neatly groomed burial grounds bordered with a tree-lined terrace that leads to a Wall of the Missing. That wall contains his name, and that of 2,723 others from the United States, some known, some unknown, some brothers, others buried together because while identified, their bodies could not be separated for individual burials.
There is a chapel at the North Africa cemetery as well, and a memorial court that contains maps in mosaic and ceramic that show the operations and supply activities of the American forces who are buried there. It tells the story of the North Africa Campaign that changed the war as a step in the march toward ultimate victory. Fighting in this campaign opened the way for the liberation of Italy and France.
Pvt. Minue’s mother traveled to Fort DuPont in Delaware to accept her fallen son’s Medal of Honor from Major General Alvan Gille, commanding officer of the 13th Corps. She received the Medal of Honor on Dec. 6, 1945, one of 121 Medals of Honor presented at that time, including one to John Basilone of Raritan. and another to Major Jay Zeamer, Jr., or Orange.
Pvt. Minue was assigned to Company A in Tunisia on April 28, 1943, he died there June 24, just short of two months later.
He was born Christmas Day, 1900 in Sedden Poland and was 45 years of age when he died.
Pvt. Minue is listed as the only New Jerseyan killed in the North African Campaign. The location of his Medal of Honor is unknown.
His Medal of Honor Citation reads.
For distinguishing himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the loss of life above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy on 28 April 1943, in the vicinity of Medjez-el-Bab, Tunisia.
When the advance of the assault elements of Company A was held up by flanking fire from an enemy machine-gun nest, Pvt. Minue voluntarily, alone, and unhesitatingly, with complete disregard of his own welfare, charged the enemy entrenched position with fixed bayonet.
Pvt. Minue assaulted the enemy under a withering machine-gun and rifle fire, killing approximately 10 enemy machine gunners and riflemen. After completely destroying this position, Pvt. Minue continued forward, routing enemy riflemen from dugout positions until he was fatally wounded.
The courage, fearlessness, and aggressiveness displayed by Pvt. Minue in the face of inevitable death was unquestionably the factor that gave his company the offensive spirit that was necessary for advancing and driving the enemy from the entire sector.
Want to read more on New Jersey Medal of Honor Recipients? Click HERE
