Medal of Honor Recipient: Sergeant James Hill
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company C, 14th New
York Heavy Artillery. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 30 July 1864. Entered service at: Lyons, N.Y.
Birth. Lyons, N.Y. Date of issue: 1 December 1864.
Citation: Capture of
flag, shooting a Confederate officer who was rallying his men with the colors
in his hand
Medal of Honor Recipient: Rear Admiral Isaac Campbell Kidd
Rank and organization: Rear Admiral, U.S.
Navy. Born: 26 March 1884,
Cleveland, Ohio. Appointed from: Ohio.
Citation: For conspicuous devotion to
duty, extraordinary courage and complete disregard of his own life, during the
attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, by
Japanese forces on 7
December 1941. Rear Adm. Kidd immediately went to the bridge and,
as Commander Battleship Division One, courageously discharged his duties as
Senior Officer Present Afloat until the U.S.S. Arizona, his Flagship, blew up
from magazine explosions and a direct bomb hit on the bridge which resulted in
the loss of his life.
Medal of Honor Recipient: Captain James M. Sprayberry
Rank and organization: Captain (then 1st Lt.), U.S.
Army, Company D, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry , 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).
Place and date: Republic
of Vietnam, 25 April 1968. Entered
service at: Montgomery, Ala. Born: 24 April 1947, LaGrange, Ga.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of
his life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Sprayberry, Armor, U.S.
Army, distinguished himself by exceptional bravery while serving as executive
officer of Company D. His company commander and a great number of the men were
wounded and separated from the main body of the company. A daylight attempt to
rescue them was driven back by the well entrenched enemy's heavy fire. Capt.
Sprayberry then organized and led a volunteer night patrol to eliminate the
intervening enemy bunkers and to relieve the surrounded element. The patrol
soon began receiving enemy machinegun fire. Capt. Sprayberry quickly moved the
men to protective cover and without regard for his own safety, crawled within
close range of the bunker from which the fire was coming. He silenced the
machinegun with a hand grenade. Identifying several l-man enemy positions
nearby, Capt. Sprayberry immediately attacked them with the rest of his
grenades. He crawled back for more grenades and when 2 grenades were thrown at
his men from a position to the front, Capt. Sprayberry, without hesitation,
again exposed himself and charged the enemy-held bunker killing its occupants
with a grenade. Placing 2 men to cover his advance, he crawled forward and
neutralized 3 more bunkers with grenades. Immediately thereafter, Capt.
Sprayberry was surprised by an enemy soldier who charged from a concealed
position. He killed the soldier with his pistol and with continuing disregard
for the danger neutralized another enemy emplacement. Capt. Sprayberry then
established radio contact with the isolated men, directing them toward his
position. When the 2 elements made contact he organized his men into litter
parties to evacuate the wounded. As the evacuation was nearing completion, he
observed an enemy machinegun position which he silenced with a grenade. Capt.
Sprayberry returned to the rescue party, established security, and moved to
friendly lines with the wounded. This rescue operation, which lasted
approximately 71/2 hours, saved the lives of many of his fellow soldiers. Capt.
Sprayberry personally killed 12 enemy soldiers, eliminated 2 machineguns, and
destroyed numerous enemy bunkers. Capt. Sprayberry's indomitable spirit and
gallant action at great personal risk to his life are in keeping with the
highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon
himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
Medal of Honor Recipient: First Sergeant John H. Shingle
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Troop 1, 3d
U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Rosebud River, Mont., 17 June 1876. Entered service at:
------. Birth: Philadelphia,
Pa. Date of issue: 1 June 1880.
Citation:
Gallantry in action.
Medal of Honor Recipient: Corporal William W. Morris
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company H, 6th U.S.
Cavalry. Place and date: At Upper Washita, Tex., 9-11 September 1874. Entered
service at:------. Birth: Stewart
County, Tenn. Date of
issue: 23 April 1875.
Citation: Gallantry in engagement with Indians.
Medal of Honor Recipient: Sergeant James Drury
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company C, 4th
Vermont Infantry. Place and date: At Weldon Railroad, Va., 23 June 1864. Entered service at: Chester, Vt.
Birth: Ireland.
Date of issue: 18 January
1893.
Citation: Saved the colors of his regiment when it was
surrounded by a much larger force of the enemy and after the greater part of the
regiment had been killed or captured
Medal of Honor Recipient: Lieutenant Colonel George L. Mabry Jr.
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army,
2d Battalion, 8th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division Place and date: Hurtgen
Forest near Schevenhutte, Germany, 20 November 1944. Entered service at: Sumter, S.C.
Birth: Sumter, SC G.O. No.: 77, September 1945.
Citation: He was commanding the
2d Battalion, 8th Infantry, in an attack through the Hurtgen Forest
near Schevenhutte, Germany, on 20 November 1944. During the early
phases of the assault, the leading elements of his battalion were halted by a
minefield and immobilized by heavy hostile fire. Advancing alone into the mined
area, Col. Mabry established a safe route of passage. He then moved ahead of
the foremost scouts, personally leading the attack, until confronted by a
boobytrapped double concertina obstacle. With the assistance of the scouts, he
disconnected the explosives and cut a path through the wire. Upon moving
through the opening, he observed 3 enemy in foxholes whom he captured at
bayonet point. Driving steadily forward he paced the assault against 3 log
bunkers which housed mutually supported automatic weapons. Racing up a slope
ahead of his men, he found the initial bunker deserted, then pushed on to the
second where he was suddenly confronted by 9 onrushing enemy. Using the butt of
his rifle, he felled 1 adversary and bayoneted a second, before his scouts came
to his aid and assisted him in overcoming the others in hand-to-hand combat.
Accompanied by the riflemen, he charged the third bunker under pointblank small
arms fire and led the way into the fortification from which he prodded 6 enemy
at bayonet point. Following the consolidation of this area, he led his
battalion across 300 yards of fire-swept terrain to seize elevated ground upon
which he established a defensive position which menaced the enemy on both
flanks, and provided his regiment a firm foothold on the approach to the
Cologne Plain. Col. Mabry's superlative courage, daring, and leadership in an
operation of major importance exemplify the finest characteristics of the
military service.
Medal of Honor Recipient: Private First Class Daniel John Shea
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army,
Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion, 21st Infantry, 196th Infantry Brigade,
Americal Division. Place and date: Quang
Tri Province,
Republic of Vietnam, 14 May 1969. Entered service at: New Haven, Conn.
Born: 29 January 1947,
Norwalk, Conn.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of
his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Shea, Headquarters and
Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion, distinguished himself while serving as a
medical aidman with Company C, 3d Battalion, during a combat patrol mission. As
the lead platoon of the company was crossing a rice paddy, a large enemy force
in ambush positions opened fire with mortars, grenades and automatic weapons.
Under heavy crossfire from 3 sides, the platoon withdrew to a small island in
the paddy to establish a defensive perimeter. Pfc. Shea, seeing that a number
of his comrades had fallen in the initial hail of fire, dashed from the
defensive position to assist the wounded. With complete disregard for his
safety and braving the intense hostile fire sweeping the open rice paddy, Pfc.
Shea made 4 trips to tend wounded soldiers and to carry them to the safety of
the platoon position. Seeing a fifth wounded comrade directly in front of one
of the enemy strong points, Pfc. Shea ran to his assistance. As he reached the
wounded man, Pfc. Shea was grievously wounded. Disregarding his welfare, Pfc.
Shea tended his wounded comrade and began to move him back to the safety of the
defensive perimeter. As he neared the platoon position, Pfc. Shea was mortally
wounded by a burst of enemy fire. By his heroic actions Pfc. Shea saved the
lives of several of his fellow soldiers. Pfc. Shea's gallantry in action at the
cost of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military
service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
Medal of Honor Recipient: Private James Lawrence
Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 8th U.S.
Cavalry. Place and date: Arizona, August to October 1868. Entered service
at:------. Birth: Scotland. Date of issue: 24 July 1869.
Citation: Bravery in
scouts and actions against Indians.
Medal of Honor Recipient: Seaman Christopher Brennan
Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S.
Navy. Born: 1832, Ireland.
Accredited to: Massachusetts.
G.O. No.: 17, 10 July 1863.
Citation: On board the U.S.S. Mississippi during attacks on Forts Jackson and
St. Philip and during the taking of New
Orleans, 24-25 April 1862. Taking part in the actions
which resulted in the damaging of the Mississippi
and several casualties on it, Brennan showed skill and courage throughout the
entire engagements which resulted in the taking of St. Philip and Jackson and
in the surrender of New Orleans
Medal of Honor Recipient: Sergeant Ross Franklin Gray
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps
Reserve. Born: August 1920, Marvel
Valley, Ala.
Accredited to: Alabama.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life
above and beyond the call of duty as a Platoon Sergeant attached to Company A,
1st Battalion, 25th Marines, 4th Marine Division, in action against enemy
Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano
Islands, 21
February 1945. Shrewdly gauging the tactical situation when his
platoon was held up by a sudden barrage of hostile grenades while advancing
toward the high ground northeast of Airfield No. 1, Sgt. Gray promptly
organized the withdrawal of his men from enemy grenade range, quickly moved
forward alone to reconnoiter and discovered a heavily mined area extending
along the front of a strong network of emplacements joined by covered trenches.
Although assailed by furious gunfire, he cleared a path leading through the
minefield to one of the fortifications, then returned to the platoon position
and, informing his leader of the serious situation, volunteered to initiate an
attack under cover of 3 fellow marines. Alone and unarmed but carrying a huge
satchel charge, he crept up on the Japanese emplacement, boldly hurled the
short-fused explosive and sealed the entrance. Instantly taken under machinegun
fire from a second entrance to the same position, he unhesitatingly braved the
increasingly vicious fusillades to crawl back for another charge, returned to his
objective and blasted the second opening, thereby demolishing the position.
Repeatedly covering the ground between the savagely defended enemy
fortifications and his platoon area, he systematically approached, attacked and
withdrew under blanketing fire to destroy a total of 6 Japanese positions, more
than 25 troops and a quantity of vital ordnance gear and ammunition.
Stouthearted and indomitable, Sgt. Gray had single-handedly overcome a strong
enemy garrison and had completely disarmed a large minefield before finally
rejoining his unit. By his great personal valor, daring tactics and tenacious
perseverance in the face of extreme peril, he had contributed materially to the
fulfillment of his company mission. His gallant conduct throughout enhanced and
sustained the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
Medal of Honor Recipient: First Lieutenant George K. Sisler
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S.
Army, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 5th Special Forces Group
(Airborne), 1st Special Forces. Place and date: Republic of Vietnam.
7 February 1967.
Entered service at: Dexter,
Mo. Born: 19 September 1937, Dexter, Mo.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life and
above and beyond the call of duty. 1st Lt. Sisler was the platoon
leader/adviser to a Special United States/Vietnam exploitation force. While on
patrol deep within enemy dominated territory, 1st Lt. Sisler's platoon was
attacked from 3 sides by a company sized enemy force. 1st Lt. Sisler quickly
rallied his men, deployed them to a better defensive position, called for air
strikes, and moved among his men to encourage and direct their efforts.
Learning that 2 men had been wounded and were unable to pull back to the
perimeter, 1st Lt. Sisler charged from the position through intense enemy fire
to assist them. He reached the men and began carrying 1 of them back to the
perimeter, when he was taken under more intensive weapons fire by the enemy.
Laying down his wounded comrade, he killed 3 onrushing enemy soldiers by firing
his rifle and silenced the enemy machinegun with a grenade. As he returned the
wounded man to the perimeter, the left flank of the position came under
extremely heavy attack by the superior enemy force and several additional men
of his platoon were quickly wounded. Realizing the need for instant action to
prevent his position from being overrun, 1st Lt. Sisler picked up some grenades
and charged single-handedly into the enemy onslaught, firing his weapon and
throwing grenades. This singularly heroic action broke up the vicious assault
and forced the enemy to begin withdrawing. Despite the continuing enemy fire,
1st Lt. Sisler was moving about the battlefield directing force and several
additional men of his platoon were quickly wounded. His extraordinary
leadership, infinite courage, and selfless concern for his men saved the lives
of a number of his comrades. His actions reflect great credit upon himself and
uphold the highest traditions of the military service.