I didn't know anything about this American and Israeli hero before conducting research in preparation for designing this medal in honor of Col. David Daniel "Mickey" Marcus, commissioned by the American-Israeli Numismatic Association.

An athletic, bright, tough street kid from Brooklyn, N.Y., he went on to graduate from West Point, serve with distinction in WWII, volunteering to parachute into Normandy on D-Day with the 101st Airborne Division. In 1946 he was named Chief of the Army's War Crimes Division documenting Nazi war crimes for the Nuremberg Trials as well as the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal.In 1948 he was instrumental in the Haganah and was appointed ALUF (General). For his valor and service to the fledgling nation of Israel, he was lauded by David Ben-Gurion as "The best man we had".

Ironically, he was tragically shot to death by an Israeli sentry hours before the cease fire. As a secular Jew, who did not speak Hebrew, he failed to provide the password, and the sentry did not understand his English.Marcus' grave is the only one at West Point Cemetery for an American killed fighting under the flag of another nation.

His gravestone reads "Colonel David Marcus-a Soldier for All Humanity"The designs were sculpted by the brilliant Luigi Badia.

To read the complete article, see:
https://www.facebook.com/joel.iskowitz/posts/10157107580264594

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
ISKOWITZ MEDAL DESIGN HONORS MICKEY MARCUS(https://www.coinbooks.org/v22/esylum_v22n22a31.html)