American Notes THE ARMY

Though some of his fellow soldiers say he single-handedly saved his battalion by killing 600 Japanese soldiers during a 21-hour siege on New Guinea in 1942, Sergeant David Rubitsky was never awarded the Medal of Honor. Jewish groups and veterans' organizations claim that anti-Semitism was the reason. Last week, after a two-year inquiry, an Army review board ruled that Rubitsky was not entitled to the medal. Lieut. Colonel Terrence Adkins, who led the inquiry, said Rubitsky's exploits "did not occur as alleged." An investigator described as "fraudulent" a photo with Japanese inscriptions declaring that "600 fine soldiers died because of a solitary American soldier." Rubitsky, 72, a retired merchant seaman from Milton, Wis., maintains, "It did happen. I think there is some sort of cover-up."