1. Sam Dreben was born in Poltava, Russian Empire, on June 1,1878.
12 Facts About Sam Dreben
1. 2.
Sam Dreben went first to Liverpool, where he worked as a dock hand, then to the United States, arriving in New York City in January 1899.
3.
Sam Dreben made friends in nearby El Paso, Texas before his second Army hitch ended in 1907.
4.
Sam Dreben worked as a security guard in the Panama Canal Zone.
5.
In early 1917, Sam Dreben married 19-year-old Helen Spence.
6.
Sergeant Sam Dreben discovered a party of German troops going to the support of a machine-gun nest situated in a pocket near where the French and American lines joined.
7.
Sergeant Sam Dreben called for volunteers and, with the aid of about 30 men, rushed the German positions, captured four machine-guns, killed more than 40 of the enemy, captured two, and returned to our lines without the loss of a man.
8.
In 1921, Sam Dreben received another honor; he was selected by General Pershing to be one of the honorary pallbearers for the burial of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on November 11.
9.
Sam Dreben convinced him to move to California for a fresh start.
10.
On March 15,1925, Sam Dreben died when a nurse accidentally injected him with the wrong substance.
11.
Sam Dreben is buried in Glendale, California's Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery.
12.
Sam Dreben was played by Alan Arkin in And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself.