On May 23, 1944, Technical Sgt. Ernest Herbert Dervishian, a 1938 Richmond Law grad, found himself far ahead of his company near Cisterna, Italy. After spotting a German-held railroad embankment, Dervishian's actions forced dozens of enemy soldiers to surrender through a series of bold maneuvers. For his bravery in combat, he was awarded the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. 

As the platoon approached the embankment, Dervishian ordered his men to cover him. He advanced alone capturing 10 soldiers and an enemy machine gun position. His four team members followed him and captured another 15 enemy soldiers. Dervishian then single-handedly captured nine more of the enemy as they fled. 

The platoon was joined by four other men, but they were soon pinned down by heavy fire. Dervishian approached and captured another enemy position, forcing four more soldiers to surrender. Dervishian then ordered his men to withdraw but stayed behind, engaging 10 more soldiers in two different directions and capturing them all, along with six more after firing on a third position. The entire encounter lasted only 25 minutes.

Dervishian received a battlefield promotion to first lieutenant after the U.S. Army liberated Rome in June 1944. In January 1945, he was awarded the Medal of Honor in a ceremony near the frontlines in Northern Italy.

During Commencement ceremonies at the University of Richmond in 1945, Dervishian, then 28, was awarded the University’s Honor Plaque. A year later, he was invited back to the University to meet two of the former commanders of the Allied Forces, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, who addressed the campus at Cannon Memorial Chapel.

In 1945, he returned to a hero’s welcome in his hometown of Richmond. The city held a parade, closed the government and schools, and honored him in a ceremony.

“God’s hand had been on my shoulder — I was lucky,” he said that day. “My thoughts and your thoughts go out to those who have been killed, those have been wounded, those who are missing, those who are prisoners of war. They are all due equal credit, if credit is to be bestowed for doing one’s duty. Countless others performed acts equal to mine. They were not so lucky.”