Valor Friday

In honor of the holiday today, let us take a moment to look at some valor awards earned for actions on America’s Independence Day.

Major (later Lieutenant Colonel) Charles Capehart earned the Medal of Honor on 4 July 1863 at a little place you might have heard of; Gettysburg. Technically, part of the retreat from Gettysburg, where the Union Army pursued Robert E Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Major Charles E. Capehart, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 4 July 1863, while serving with 1st West Virginia Cavalry, in action at Monterey Mountain, Pennsylvania. While commanding the regiment, Major Capehart charged down the mountain side at midnight, in a heavy rain, upon the enemy’s fleeing wagon train. Many wagons were captured and destroyed and many prisoners taken.

Interestingly, Capehart’s older brother Colonel (brevet Major General) Henry Capehart also earned the Medal of Honor during the Civil War. They are one of seven sets of brothers who have both received the nation’s highest honor.

Marcus Hanna

Sergeant Marcus Hanna on the same day as Capehart also earned the Medal of Honor. He was about as far as you could get from Gettysburg though, seeing his fateful action in Louisiana.

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Marcus A. Hanna, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 4 July 1863, while serving with Company B, 50th Massachusetts Infantry, in action at Port Hudson, Louisiana. Sergeant Hanna voluntarily exposed himself to a heavy fire to get water for comrades in rifle pits.

Hanna had earlier in the Civil War served for a year in the Union Navy. Post-war, Hanna became a lighthouse keeper. First in his native Bristol, Mass. and then Cape Elizabeth, Mass. In that capacity on 28 January 1885 he braved a blizzard and the slippery rocks at his shore to rescue two sailors off a wrecked schooner that had been run aground. He threw a rope to the stranded men as their ship was battered against the rocks, and succeeded in getting them both to shore. He then got them inside and warmed up.

For saving those two men, Hanna received the Gold Lifesaving Medal. This is one of the highest civil honors of the US Government, and the highest that is awarded only for personal bravery. Hanna is the only man to have ever received both the Gold Lifesaving Medal and the Medal of Honor.

Thomas Pope

Corporal Thomas Pope was just 23 when he earned the Medal of Honor during the First World War.

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Corporal Thomas A. Pope (ASN: 1387320), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 4 July 1918, while serving with Company E, 131st Infantry, 33d Division, in action at Hamel, France. Corporal Pope’s company was advancing behind the tanks when it was halted by hostile machinegun fire. Going forward alone, he rushed a machinegun nest, killed several of the crew with his bayonet, and, standing astride his gun, held off the others until reinforcements arrived and captured them.

Pope survived the war, married, and had three daughters. At the time of his death in 1989 at the age of 94, he was the last living MoH recipient from World War I.

Private First Class William Nakamura of Seattle was a Nisei (an American-born child of Japanese immigrants) and was interred in a camp in Idaho in 1942. Enlisting the following year, he was part of the all-Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The storied unit saw heavy action in Europe starting in June 1944. They would become one of the most heavily decorated units in history. They received seven Presidential Unit Citations, with five of those being in a single month!

Nakamura was just 22 when he was killed in action in Italy, for which he received the Medal of Honor;

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Private First Class William Kenzo Nakamura (ASN: 39918272), United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company G, 2d Battalion, 442d Regimental Combat Team, attached to the 34th Infantry Division, in action against the enemy on 4 July 1944, near Castellina, Italy. During a fierce firefight, Private First Class Nakamura’s platoon became pinned down by enemy machine gun fire from a concealed position. On his own initiative, Private First Class Nakamura crawled 20 yards toward the hostile nest with fire from the enemy machine gun barely missing him. Reaching a point 15 yards from the position, he quickly raised himself to a kneeling position and threw four hand grenades, killing or wounding at least three of the enemy soldiers. The enemy weapon silenced, Private First Class Nakamura crawled back to his platoon, which was able to continue its advance as a result of his courageous action. Later, his company was ordered to withdraw from the crest of a hill so that a mortar barrage could be placed on the ridge. On his own initiative, Private First Class Nakamura remained in position to cover his comrades’ withdrawal. While moving toward the safety of a wooded draw, his platoon became pinned down by deadly machine gun fire. Crawling to a point from which he could fire on the enemy position, Private First Class Nakamura quickly and accurately fired his weapon to pin down the enemy machine gunners. His platoon was then able to withdraw to safety without further casualties. Private First Class Nakamura was killed during this heroic stand. Private First Class Nakamura’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.

Nakamura was originally posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, but this was upgraded in the 1990s after an awards review.

Frank Ono

Serving alongside Nakamura was Private First Class Frank Ono of Colorado. His father was a Japanese immigrants, so he too was a volunteer for the Nisei 442nd RCT. Part of the same company as Nakamura, Ono too earned the nation’s highest honor for his actions in Italy.

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Private First Class Frank H. Ono (ASN: 35893759), United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company G, 2d Battalion, 442d Regimental Combat Team, attached to the 34th Infantry Division, in action against the enemy on 4 July 1944, near Castellina, Italy. In attacking a heavily defended hill, Private First Class Ono’s squad was caught in a hail of formidable fire from the well-entrenched enemy. Private First Class Ono opened fire with his automatic rifle and silenced one machine gun 300 hundred yards to the right front. Advancing through incessant fire, he killed a sniper with another burst of fire, and while his squad leader reorganized the rest of the platoon in the rear, he alone defended the critical position. His weapon was then wrenched from his grasp by a burst of enemy machine pistol fire as enemy troops attempted to close in on him. Hurling hand grenades, Private First Class Ono forced the enemy to abandon the attempt, resolutely defending the newly won ground until the rest of the platoon moved forward. Taking a wounded comrade’s rifle, Private First Class Ono again joined in the assault. After killing two more enemy soldiers, he boldly ran through withering automatic, small arms, and mortar fire to render first aid to his platoon leader and a seriously wounded rifleman. In danger of being encircled, the platoon was ordered to withdraw. Volunteering to cover the platoon, Private First Class Ono occupied virtually unprotected positions near the crest of the hill, engaging an enemy machine gun emplaced on an adjoining ridge and exchanging fire with snipers armed with machine pistols. Completely disregarding his own safety, he made himself the constant target of concentrated enemy fire until the platoon reached the comparative safety of a draw. He then descended the hill in stages, firing his rifle, until he rejoined the platoon. Private First Class Ono’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.

Ono’s MoH was originally also a DSC, but was part of the same upgrade as Nakamura’s. While Ono survived the war, he died in 1980 at age 56, so his MoH is listed as a posthumous award.

Leroy Mendonca

Sergeant Leroy Mendonca was less than a month away from his 20th birthday when he was killed in action in Korea. His final actions earned him the Medal of Honor;

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Sergeant Leroy A. Mendonca (ASN: 10104748), United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, in action against enemy aggressor forces at Chich-on, Korea, on 4 July 1951. After Sergeant Mendonca’s platoon, in an exhaustive fight, had captured Hill 586, the newly won positions were assaulted during the night by a numerically superior enemy force. When the First Platoon positions were outflanked and under great pressure and the platoon was ordered to withdraw to a secondary line of defense, Sergeant Mendonca voluntarily remained in an exposed position and covered the platoon’s withdrawal. Although under murderous enemy fire, he fired his weapon and hurled grenades at the onrushing enemy until his supply of ammunition was exhausted. He fought on, clubbing with his rifle and using his bayonet until he was mortally wounded. After the action it was estimated that Sergeant Mendonca had accounted for 37 enemy casualties. His daring actions stalled the crushing assault, protecting the platoon’s withdrawal to secondary positions, and enabling the entire unit to repel the enemy attack and retain possession of the vital hilltop position. Sergeant Mendonca’s extraordinary gallantry and exemplary valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.

These six men are the only ones I can find who earned the MoH on 4 July. There might be others. Comprehensive searches for this stuff can be surprisingly tricky.

Category: Army, Historical, Korea, Medal of Honor, Valor, We Remember, WWI, WWII