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MEDAL of HONOR Citations –
MEDICAL PERSONNEL
(submitted by Alain Batens)
Last updated December 11th 2002
(Medal
of Honor, Army – period 1944 – the part illustrated above
is from the collection of Alain Batens)
Description:
a
gold five-pointed star, surrounded
by a green laurel wreath, suspended from a gold bar with the
inscription VALOR,
surmounted by an eagle; the medal itself is suspended by a blue neck
ribbon with a shield
of the same color + 13 white stars, arranged in the form of three
chevrons above the medal
– this medal is only awarded by the President in the name of Congress,
for a deed of
personal bravery or self-sacrifice involving risk of life – introduced
as "The
Badge of Military Merit" on 7 August 1792, re-introduced on 17 February
1862 for the
Army . Remark: the present design dates from 23 April 1904,
while the neck ribbon
was only adopted in 1944; there’s a special Medal of Honor for the US
Navy and the US
Air Force (with minor design differences)
The
President of the United States, in the name
of Congress, awarded more than 3,400 Medals of Honor to the
Nation’s bravest
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guard personnel, since the
decoration’s
creation in 1861 !
In
order
to underline the acts of bravery and heroism carried out by Combat Medic in World War 2, I thought it
would be fully justified
to print some of the citations as recorded in military archives . I’ve
taken 2 at
random
…
(ETOUSA)
Medal of Honor Recipients:
Dennis
HOLM (submitted by
Alain Batens)
Some time ago, we had
the
privilege of receiving a very kind e-mail of a person with a lot of
interest in the Medal
of Honor – after having browsed through our webpages – this gentleman
thought it
was very touching of us giving so much attention to Medal of Honor
citations specifically
involving medical personnel – he also declared to be very moved and
wondered what
went through a Medic’s mind, when he spontaneously commits himself to
an act of
heroism, which could more than likely end his own life …
The person we
are
talking of is Dennis HOLM, former Art Director with the Stamp Division,
US Postal Service
(in the early 1980s), who designed the Medal of Honor
commemorative stamp, depicting all three
Medals of Honor . He also experienced the First Day (of issue)
ceremonies at The Pentagon
on June 7, 1983, where he was invited as an honored guest and designer
. Mr. Holm
described this as quite a special experience to be there with all those
men wearing the
‘blue ribbon’, but said, it made him really feel very humble, and
grateful to be
present among them …
Above is
an
illustration of a First Day Cover and
Medal
of Honor Commemorative Stamp (as designed by Dennis HOLM), dated
Washington, D.C., June 7,
1983, and signed by the designer himself . (courtesy D. Holm)
Mr. Holm was kind enough
to provide us also with an (updated) list secured from the U.S.
Army
Medical Department Museum, providing
names of U.S. Army, Medical Department Medal of Honor recipients,
from the Civil War to Vietnam
CIVIL WAR
WORLD
WAR II
William R.D.
Blackwood
PFC
Desmond T. Doss
Joseph K. Corson
PVT
Harold A. Garman
Richard Curran
PFC
Lloyd C. Hawks (*)
Andrew Davidson
CPL
Thomas J. Kelly
Gabriel Grant
PVT William D. McGee (*)
Gabriel Ranney
PFC Frederick C. Murphy (*)
Jacob F. Raub
T/5
James K. Okubo
Harry James Thompson
T/4
Laverne Parrish (*)
Dr. Mary E. Walker
PFC Frank
J. Petrarca (*)
CPT
Ben
L.
Salomon (*)
INDIAN WARS
T/5
Alfred
L.
Wilson (*)
William C. Bryan
KOREAN WAR
Oscar
Burkard
SGT
David
B.
Bleak
Bernard J.D. Irwin
PFC Richard G. Wilson (*)
John O. Skinner
PFC
Bryant E. Womack (*)
Henry R. Tilton
Leonard
Wood
VIETNAM WAR
SGT
Gary
B.
Beikirch
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR
CPL Thomas W. Bennett (*)
MAJ Patrick H. Brady
James Robb Church
SP4
Donald W. Evans, Jr (*)
SP5
Charles
C.
Hagemeister
PHILIPPINE INSURRECTION
SP5 Lawrence Joel
PFC
Kenneth
M.
Kays
George W. Mathews
SP4
Joseph G. LaPointe, Jr (*)
George F. Shiels
SP4
Thomas J. McMahon (*)
Paul F. Straub
SP5
Edgar L. McWethy, Jr (*)
CWO
Michael
J.
Novosel
WORLD WAR I
SP4
Alfred
V.
Rascon
WO1
Louis
R.
Rocco
PFC Charles D. Barger
SP5
Clarence E. Sasser
PFC Jesse N. Funk
PFC Daniel J.
Shea
PFC
David
F.
Winder
(*) posthumous
award
ranks as reflected on
Citation texts
(List &
Names,
courtesy G. Alan Knight, Curator US Army Medical Department Museum
& Dennis Holm,
Designer, Medal of Honor Commemorative Stamp)
Thomas
J.
KELLY
Rank
and
organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Medical Detachment, 48th
Armored Infantry Battalion, 7th Armored Division. Place & date:
Alemert, Germany, 5
April 1945. Entered service at: Brooklyn, N.Y.. Born: Brooklyn, N.Y.
(date n.a.). G.O.
N°97, 1 November 1945.
Citation:
He was an aidman
with
the 1st Platoon, Co C during an attack on the town of Alemert, Germany.
The platoon,
committed in a flanking maneuver had advanced down a small open valley,
overlooked by
wooded slopes hiding enemy machineguns and tanks, when the attack was
stopped by murderous
fire that inflicted heavy casualties in the American ranks. Ordered to
withdraw, Cpl.
Kelly reached safety with the uninjured remnants of the unit, but, on
realizing the extent
of casualties suffered by the platoon, he voluntarily retraced his
steps and began
evacuating his comrades under direct machinegun fire. He was forced to
crawl, dragging the
injured behind him for most of the 300 yards separating the exposed
area from a place of
comparative safety. Two other volunteers who attempted to negotiate the
hazardous route
with him were mortally wounded, but he kept on with his herculean task
after dressing
their wounds and carrying them to friendly hands. In all, he made 10
separate trips
through the brutal fire, each time bringing out a man from this death
trap. 7 more
casualties who were able to crawl by themselves he guided and
encouraged in escaping from
the hail of fire. After he had completed his heroic, self-imposed task
and was near
collapse from fatigue, he refused to leave his platoon until the attack
had been resumed
and the objective taken. Cpl. Kelly’s gallantry and intrepidity in the
face of
seemingly certain death saved the lives of many of his fellow soldiers
and was an example
of bravery under fire.
Harold
A.
GARMAN
Rank
and
organization: Private, U.S. Army, Co. B, 5th Medical
Battalion, 5th Infantry Division. Place & date: near Montereau,
France, 25 August
1944. Entered service at: Albion, Illinois. Born: 26 February 1918,
Fairfield, Ill. G.O.
N°20, 29 March 1945.
Citation:
For conspicuous
gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the
call of duty. On 25
August 1944, in the vicinity of Montereau, France, the enemy was
sharply contesting any
enlargement of the bridgehead which our forces has established on the
northern bank of the
Seine river in this sector. Casualties were being evacuated to the
southern shore in
assault boats paddled by litter bearers from the medical battalion.
Pvt. Garman, also a
litter bearer in this battalion, was working on the friendly shore
carrying the wounded
from the boats to waiting ambulances. As one boatload of wounded
reached midstream, a
German machinegun suddenly opened fire upon it from a commanding
position on the northern
bank 100 yards away. All of the men in the boat immediately took to the
water, except one
man who was so badly wounded he could not rise from his litter. Two
other patients who
were unable to swim because of their wounds clung to the sides of the
boat. Seeing the
extreme danger of these patients, Pvt. Garman without a moment’s
hesitation plunged
into the Seine. Swimming directly into a hail of machinegun bullets, he
rapidly reached
the assault boat and then, while still under accurately aimed enemy
fire, towed the boat
with great effort to the southern shore. This soldier’s moving heroism
not only saved
the lives of the three patients but so inspired his comrades that
additional assault boats
were immediately procured and the evacuation of the wounded resumed.
Pvt. Garman’s
great courage and his heroic devotion to the highest tenets of the
Medical Corps may be
written with great pride in the annals of the Corps.
NOTE::
other
medical personnel equally awarded the
Medal of Honor (i.e. ETOUSA) were Lloyd C. HAWKS (Med Det, 30th Inf
Regt, 3d Inf Div),
William D. McGEE (Med Det, 304th Inf Regt, 76th Inf Div), Frederick C.
MURPHY (Med Det,
259th Inf Regt, 65th Inf Div), James K. OKUBO (Med Det, 442d RCT),
Alfred L. WILSON (Med
Det, 328th Inf Regt, 26th Inf Div) … I hope my records are correct and
complete, my
sincere apologies if this is not the case, no offense meant by the
author !
NAVY CORPSMAN MEDAL OF HONOR RECEPIENTS (submitted by Mark Flowers):
Robert Eugene BUSH
Rank and
organization:
Hospital Apprentice First Class, U.S. Naval Reserve, serving
as Medical Corpsman with a
rifle company, 2d Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine
Division. Place and date: Okinawa
Jima, Ryukyu Islands, 2 May 1945. Entered service at:
Washington. Born: 4 October 1926,
Tacoma, Wash.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry
and intrepidity at the risk of his
life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Medical Corpsman
with a rifle
company, in action against enemy Japanese forces on OkinawaJima,
Ryukyu
Islands, 2 May
1945. Fearlessly braving the fury of artillery, mortar, and
machinegun fire from strongly
entrenched hostile positions,Bush constantly and
unhesitatingly moved from 1 casualty to
another to attend the wounded falling under the enemy's
murderous barrages. As the attack
passed over a ridge top, Bush was advancing to administer blood
plasma to a Marine officer
Iying wounded on the skyline when the Japanese launched a savage
counterattack. In this
perilously exposed position, heresolutely maintained the
flow of life-giving plasma. With
the bottle held high in 1 hand, Bush drew his pistol with
the other and fired into the
enemy's ranks until his ammunition was expended. Quickly seizing a
discarded carbine, he
trained his fire on the Japanese charging pointblank over the
hill, accounting for 6 of
the enemy despite his own serious wounds andthe loss of 1
eye suffered during his
desperate battle in defense of the helpless man. With the
hostile force finally routed, he
calmly disregardedhis own critical condition to complete his
mission, valiantly refusing
medical treatment for himself until his officer patient had been
evacuated, and collapsing
only after attempting to walk to the battle aid station. His
daring initiative, great
personal valor, and heroic spirit of self-sacrifice in
service of others reflect great
credit upon Bush and enhance the finesttraditions of the
U.S. Naval Service.
William David HALYBURTON
(Posthumous)
Rank and
organization:
Pharmacist's Mate Second Class, U.S. Naval Reserve. Born: 2
August 1924, Canton, N.C.
Accredited to: North Carolina.
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and
intrepidity at the risk of his
life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with a
Marine rifle company in the 2d
Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, during action
against enemy Japanese forces
on Okinawa Shima in the Ryukyu Chain, 10 May 1945.
Undaunted by the deadly accuracy of
Japanese counterfire as his unit pushed the attack through
a strategically important draw,
Halyburton unhesitatingly dashed across the draw and up the
hill into an open fire-swept
field where the company advance squad was suddenly pinned
down under a terrific
concentrationof mortar, machinegun and sniper fire with
resultant severe casualties.
Moving steadily forward despite the enemy's merciless
barrage, he reached the wounded
Marine who lay farthest away and was rendering first aid
when his patient was struck for
the second time by a Japanese bullet. Instantly placing
himself in the direct line of
fire, he shielded the fallen fighter with his own body and
staunchly continued his
ministrations although constantly menaced by the slashing
fury of shrapnel and bullets
falling on all sides.Alert, determined and completely
unselfish in his concern for the
helpless Marine, he persevered in his efforts until he
himself sustained mortal wounds and
collapsed, heroically sacrificing himself that his comrade
might live. By his outstanding
valor and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of
tremendous odds, Halyburton sustained
and enhanced the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval
Service. He gallantly gave his life
in the service of his country.
Fred
Faulkner
LESTER
(Posthumous)
Rank
and
organization: Hospital Apprentice First Class, U.S. Navy.
Born: 29 April 1926, Downers Grove, Ill. Accredited to: Illinois.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry
and intrepidity at the risk of his
life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a
Medical Corpsman with an assault
rifle platoon, attached to the 1st Battalion, 22d Marines, 6th Marine
Division, during
action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa Shima in the Ryukyu
Chain, 8 June 1945.
Quick to spot a wounded Marine Iying in an open field beyond
the front lines following the
relentless assault against a strategic Japanese hill
position, Lester unhesitatingly
crawled toward the casualty under a concentrated barrage
from hostile machineguns, rifles,
and grenades.Torn by enemy rifle bullets as he inched
forward, he stoically disregarded
the mounting fury of Japanese fire and his own pain to pull the wounded
man toward a
covered position. Struck by enemy fire a second time before
he reached cover, he exerted
tremendous effort and succeeded in pulling his comrade to
safety where, too seriously
wounded himself to administer aid, he instructed 2 of his
squad in proper medical
treatment of the rescued Marine. Realizing that his own
wounds were fatal, he staunchly
refusedmedical attention for himself and, gathering his
fast-waning strength with calm
determination, coolly and expertly directed his men in the treatment
of 2 other wounded
Marines, succumbing shortly thereafter. Completely selfless
in his concern for the welfare
of his fighting comrades, Lester, by his indomitable spirit,
outstanding valor, and
competent direction of others,had saved the life of 1 who
otherwise must have perished and
had contributed to the safety of countless others. Lester's
fortitude in the face of
certain death sustains and enhances the highest traditions
of the U.S. Naval Service. He
gallantly gave his life for his country.
Francis PIERCE Jr.
Rank and
organization:
Pharmacist's Mate First Class, U.S. Navy serving with 2d
Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th
Marine Division.Place and date: Iwo Jima, 15 and 16 March
1945. Entered service at lowa .
Born: 7 December 1924, Earlville, lowa.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the
risk of his life
above and beyond the call of duty while attached to the 2d
Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th
Marine Division, during the Iwo Jima campaign, 15 and 16
March 1945. Almost continuously
under fire while carrying out the most dangerous volunteer
assignments, Pierce gained
valuable knowledge of the terrain and disposition of
troops. Caught in heavy enemy rifle
and machinegun fire which wounded a corpsman and 2 of the 8
stretcher bearers who were
carrying 2 wounded Marines to a forward aid station on 15 March,
Pierce quickly took
charge of the party, carried the newly wounded men to a sheltered position,
and
rendered
first aid. After directing the evacuation of 3 of the casualties, he stood
in
the open to
draw the enemy's fire and, with his weapon blasting, enabled the litter
bearers
to reach
cover. Turning his attention to the other 2 casualties he was attempting
to
stop the
profuse bleeding of 1 man when a Japanese fired from a cave less than
20
yards away and
wounded his patient again. Risking his own life to save his patient,
Pierce
deliberately
exposed himself to draw the attacker from the cave and
destroyed him with the last of his
ammunition. Then lifting the wounded man to his back, he
advanced unarmed through deadly
rifle fire across 200 feet of open terrain. Despite
exhaustion and in the face of warnings
against such a suicidal mission, he again traversed the
same fire-swept path to rescue the
remaining Marine. On the following morning, he led a combat
patrol to the sniper nest and,
while aiding a stricken Marine, was seriously wounded.
Refusing aid for himself, he
directed treatment for the casualty, at the same time
maintaining protective fire for his
comrades. Completely fearless, completely devoted to the
care of his patients, Pierce
inspired the entire battalion. His valor in the face of
extreme peril sustains and
enhances the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
George Edward WAHLEN
Rank
and organization: Pharmacist's Mate Second Class, U.S. Navy, serving
with 2d Battalion,
26th Marines, 5th Marine Division. Place and date: Iwo
Jima, Volcano Islands group, 3
March 1945. Entered service at: Utah. Born: 8 August 1924,
Ogden, Utah.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry
and intrepidity at the risk of his
life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with
the 2d Battalion, 26th Marines,
5th Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese
forces on Iwo Jima in the Volcano group on 3 March 1945.
Painfully wounded in the bitter
action on 26 February, Wahlen remained on the battlefield,
advancing well forward of the
frontlines to aid a wounded Marine and carrying him back to
safety despite a terrific
concentration of fire. Tireless in his ministrations, he
consistently disregarded all danger to
attend his fighting
comrades as they fell under the devastating rain of
shrapnel and bullets, and rendered
prompt assistance to various elements of his combat group
as required. When an adjacent
platoon suffered heavy casualties, he defied the continuous
pounding of heavy mortars and deadly
fire of enemy rifles to care for the wounded, working rapidly in an
area swept by constant
fire and treating 14 casualties before returning to his own platoon.
Wounded again on 2 March, he
gallantly refused evacuation,
moving out with his company the following day in a furious
assault across 600 yards of
open terrain and repeatedly rendering medical aid while exposed
to the blasting fury of
powerful Japanese guns. Stouthearted and indomitable, he
persevered in his determined
efforts as his unit waged fierce battle and, unable to walk
after sustaining a third
agonizing wound, resolutely crawled 50 yards to administer
first aid to still another
fallen fighter. By his dauntless fortitude and valor,
Wahlen served as a constant
inspiration and contributed vitally to the high morale of
his company during critical
phases of this strategically important engagement. His
heroic spirit of self-sacrifice in
the face of overwhelming enemy fire upheld
the highest traditions
of the U.S. Naval Service.
Jack WILLIAMS (Posthumous)
Rank
and organization: Pharmacist's Mate Third Class, U.S. Naval Reserve.
Born: 18 October
1924, Harrison, Ark. Accredited to: Arkansas.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and
intrepidity at the risk of his
life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with
the 3d Battalion 28th Marines,
5th Marine Division, during the occupation of Iwo Jima Volcano
Islands, 3 March 1945.
Gallantly going forward on the front lines under intense enemy
small-arms fire to assist a
Marine wounded in a fierce grenade battle, Williams dragged
the man to a shallow
depression and was kneeling, using his own body as a screen
from the sustained fire as he
administered first aid, when struck in the abdomen and groin 3
times by hostile rifle
fire. Momentarily stunned, he quickly recovered and
completed his ministration before
applying battle dressings to his own multiple wounds.
Unmindful of his own urgent need for
medical attention, he remained in the perilous fire-swept
area to care for another Marine
casualty. Heroically completing his task despite pain and
profuse bleeding, he then
endeavored to make his way to the rear in search of adequate
aid for himself when struck
down by a Japanese sniper bullet which caused his collapse.
Succumbing later as a result
of his self-sacrificing service to others, Williams, by his
courageous determination,
unwavering fortitude and valiant performance of duty,
served as an inspiring example of
heroism, in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S.
Naval Service. He gallantly
gave his life for his country.
John Harlan WILLIS
(Posthumous)
Rank
and organization: Pharmacist's Mate First Class, U.S. Navy. Born:
10
June 1921, Columbia,
Tenn. Accredited to: Tennessee.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and
intrepidity at the risk of his life
above and beyond the call of duty as Platoon Corpsman
serving with the 3d Battalion, 27th
Marines, 5th Marine Division, during operations against
enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 28 February
1945. Constantly imperiled by
artillery and mortar fire from
strong and mutually supporting pillboxes and caves studding Hill 362 in
the enemy's
cross-island defenses, Willis resolutely administered first aid to the
many Marines
wounded during the furious close-in fighting until he himself was
struck by shrapnel and
was ordered back to the battalion aid station. Without waiting for
official medical
release, he quickly returned to his company and, during a savage
hand-to-hand enemy
counterattack, daringly advanced to the extreme front lines under
mortar and sniper fire
to aid a Marine Iying wounded in a shellhole. Completely unmindful of
his own danger as
the Japanese intensified their attack, Willis calmly continued to
administer blood plasma
to his patient, promptly returning the first hostile grenade which
landed in the
shell-hole while he was working and hurling back seven more in quick
succession before the
ninth grenade exploded in his hand and instantly killed him. By his
great personal valor
in saving others at the sacrifice of his
own
life, he inspired his companions, although terrifically
outnumbered, to launch a fiercely
determined attack and repulse the enemy force.
His
exceptional
fortitude and courage in the performance of duty
reflect the highest
credit upon Willis and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his
life
for his country.
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