Medal of Honor General Orders No. 77 September 10, 1945 (February 5, 1945)
Citation: "The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Second Lieutenant (Infantry), [then Technical Sergeant] Donald Eugene Rudolph, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty on 5 February 1945, while serving with Company E, 2d Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 6th Infantry Division. Second Lieutenant Rudolphwas acting as platoon leader at Munoz, Luzon, Philippine Islands. While administering first aid on the battlefield, he observed enemy fire issuing from a nearby culvert. Crawling to the culvert with rifle and grenades, he killed three of the enemy concealed there. He then worked his way across open terrain toward a line of enemy pillboxes which had immobilized his company. Nearing the first pillbox, he hurled a grenade through its embrasure and charged the position. With his bare hands he tore away the wood and tin covering, then dropped a grenade through the opening, killing the enemy gunners and destroying their machinegun. Ordering several riflemen to cover his further advance, Second Lieutenant Rudolph seized a pick mattock and made his way to the second pillbox. Piercing its top with the mattock, he dropped a grenade through the hole, fired several rounds from his rifle into it and smothered any surviving enemy by sealing the hole and the embrasure with earth. In quick succession he attacked and neutralized six more pillboxes. Later, when his platoon was attacked by an enemy tank, he advanced under covering fire, climbed to the top of the tank and dropped a white phosphorus grenade through the turret, destroying the crew. Through his outstanding heroism, superb courage, and leadership, and complete disregard for his own safety, Second Lieutenant Rudolph cleared a path for an advance which culminated in one of the most decisive victories of the Philippine campaign."