Arlington National Cemetery is a United States military cemetery located in Arlington County, Virginia near The Pentagon and directly across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. The cemetery has graves for thousands of casualties and deceased veterans of the nation's conflicts, beginning with the American Civil War but includes reinterred dead from earlier wars as well. It was established during the Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, which had been the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna (Custis) Lee (a great-granddaughter of Martha Washington).
The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recipient must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their own life above and beyond the call of duty in action against an enemy of the United States. Due to the nature of this medal, it is commonly presented posthumously.[1]
Recipients
Image | Name | Service | Rank | Death date | Burial location | Comments |
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Joel T. Boone | Navy | Lieutenant | April 2, 1974 | Section 11 | Exposed himself to intense fire in order to treat the wounded and bring in supplies |
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Deming Bronson | Army | First Lieutenant | May 29, 1957 | Section 30, Lot 500 | Continued to fight although suffering from severe wounds |
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Tedford H. Cann | Navy | Seaman | January 26, 1963 | Section 7, Lot 10118-SS | Dove into a flooded compartment to find and plug a leak which threatened his ship |
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Louis Cukela | Marine Corps | Sergeant | March 19, 1956 | Section 1, Site 427-A | Single-handedly attacked and captured a German strongpoint[n 1] |
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George Dilboy† | Army | Private First Class | July 18, 1918 | Section 18 | Mortally wounded while single-handedly attacking and silencing a machine gun position |
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William J. Donovan | Army | Lieutenant Colonel | February 8, 1959 | Section 2 | Exposed himself to fire in order to lead and organize his men, remained with them after being wounded. The only person to have received the four highest awards in the United States: the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the National Security Medal.[2] |
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Alan L. Eggers | Army | Sergeant | October 3, 1968 | Section 2, Lot 3389-A | With J.C. Latham and Thomas E. O'Shea, rescued the crew of a disabled tank and protected them from attack all day |
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Michael B. Ellis | Army | Sergeant | December 9, 1937 | Section 6, Grave 9520 | Single-handedly attacked and captured several German positions[3] |
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David E. Hayden | Navy | Hospital Apprentice First Class | March 18, 1974 | Section 35, Lot 1864 | Reached a wounded man, treated him, and carried him to safety despite intense fire[4][5] |
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George P. Hays | Army | First Lieutenant | August 7, 1978 | Carried messages through heavy fire | |
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Edouard V. M. Izac | Navy | Lieutenant | January 18, 1990 | Section 3, lot 4222-1 | Gathered intellegience while a prisoner of war, escaped and brought the information to the Allies |
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Henry Johnson | Army | Sergeant | July 1, 1929 | Section 25, Site 64 | [6] |
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John C. Latham | Army | Sergeant | November 5, 1975 | Section 35, grave 1127 | With Alan L. Eggers and Thomas E. O'Shea, rescued the crew of a disabled tank and protected them from attack all day |
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Berger Loman | Army | Private | May 9, 1968 | Section 37, lot 4909 | Single-handedly attacked and captured a machine gun |
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Alexander G. Lyle | Navy | Lieutenant Commander | July 15, 1955 | Section 2, lot 1114-1 | Exposed himself to hostile fire to treat a wounded man |
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Patrick McGunigal | Navy | Shipfitter First Class | January 19, 1936 | Section 6, lot 8674 | Rescued the pilot of a crashed observation balloon |
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Sterling L. Morelock | Army | Private | September 1, 1964 | Section 35, lot 1824 | Led a small group in capturing a series of machine gun nests and then treated the wounded |
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Thomas A. Pope | Army | Corporal | June 14, 1989 | Section 35, lot 3157 | Single-handedly attacked and silenced a machine gun nest |
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John H. Pruitt† | Marine Corps | Corporal | October 4, 1918 | Section 18, lot 245-3 | Single-handedly captured two machine guns and forty prisoners[n 1] |
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Robert G. Robinson | Marine Corps | Gunnery Sergeant | October 5, 1974 | Section 46, Lot 390 | Continued to fire his weapon after being severely wounded in an aerial battle against twelve German planes |
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Oscar Schmidt, Jr. | Navy | Chief Gunner's Mate | March 24, 1973 | Rescued a wounded man from the water and attempted to rescue another | |
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Clayton K. Slack | Army | Private | March 1, 1976 | Section 34, lot 59 | Single-handedly attacked and captured a group of German soldiers |
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Daniel A. J. Sullivan | Naval Reserve | Ensign | January 27, 1941 | Section 8, Lot 5327-A | Secured a group of live depth charges[7] |
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Frank M. Upton | Navy | Ensign | June 25, 1962 | Section 8, lot 55-A | Dove overboard and rescued a man who was surrounded by boxes of explosives[8][9] |
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Ludovicus M. M. Van Iersel | Army | Sergeant | 9 June 1987 | Section 42, Lot 1770 | Under heavy fire, reconnoitered a damaged bridge and swam the river to investigate German positions[10] |
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Samuel Woodfill | Army | First Lieutenant | August 10, 1951 | Section 34, Grave 642 | Supported by his company, attacked and silenced three machine gun nests[11] |
Notes
References
- ↑ "A Brief History—The Medal of Honor". Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Department of Defense. August 8, 2006. http://www.defenselink.mil/faq/pis/med_of_honor.html. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- ↑ William J. Wild Bill Donovan, Major General, United States Army. Arlingtoncemetery.net. Retrieved on 2012-08-27.
- ↑ "World War I Medal of Honor recipients buried at Arlington National Cemetery". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients (Michael Ellis). Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22923. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- ↑ "World War I Medal of Honor recipients buried at Arlington National Cemetery". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients (David Hayden). Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7836663. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- ↑ "David Ehraim Hayden: Hospitalman, United States Navy". Arlington National Cemetery Website. April 7, 2006. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/dhayden.htm. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- ↑ "Henry Lincoln Johnson: Sergeant, United States Army". Arlington National Cemetery website. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/henry-johnson.htm. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ↑ "World War I Medal of Honor recipients buried at Arlington National Cemetery". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients (Daniel Sullivan). Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7862849. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- ↑ "Frank Monroe Upton:Ensign, United States Navy". Arlington National Cemetery website. 23 August 2006. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/fmupton.htm. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- ↑ "World War I Medal of Honor recipients buried at Arlington National Cemetery". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients (Frank Upton). Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7862842. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- ↑ "World War I Medal of Honor recipients buried at Arlington National Cemetery". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients (Ludovicus Van Iersel). Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7834097. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- ↑ "World War I Medal of Honor recipients buried at Arlington National Cemetery". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients (Samuel Woodfill). Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7135841. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
Bibliography
- "Medal of Honor recipients". Listing of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen who received the Medal of Honor during World War II. United States Army Center of Military History. June 8, 2009. http://www.history.army.mil/moh.html. Retrieved December 27, 2010.