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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home NOVEMBER 25, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Forgotten Her es
Noteworthy Medal of Honor Recipients By Avi Heiligman
Dr. Mary Walker
H
onoring bravery on the battlefield is a tradition that goes back to ancient times. The Medal of Honor is the highest decoration for heroic acts for those serving in the military and dates back to the Civil War. In a previous article, we discussed some of the recipients of the acclaimed award from the Civil War. Here are a few more incredible stories of Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and from later wars. Of the 3,508 recipients of the Medal of Honor, only one was a woman, and her medal created quite a bit of controversy. Dr. Mary Walker was born in Oswego, New York, and in 1855 graduated as a doctor from Syracuse Medical College. When her medical practice did not flourish, she went back to school and then volunteered for the army. The army did not accept her as a surgeon at first, and she served as a nurse. Walker was present at the First Battle of Bull Run and then at several other battles as an unpaid field surgeon. She set up an organization to help families visit their wounded relatives in hospitals. In 1863, the army finally approved her as a paid surgeon, and Walker was appointed assistant surgeon to the 52nd Ohio Infantry. Her work was very dangerous as she often crossed over to enemy lines to treat patients. In April 1864, after working with a Confederate doctor on an operation, she was captured and sent to prison in Virginia. A few months later, she was released as a part of a prisoner exchange involving other medical officers. In November 1865, Walker was
awarded the Medal of Honor by President Andrew Johnson for her valuable service during the war. However, since she was never a commissioned army officer and the medal was reserved for those actually in the service, her medal was rescinded two years before her death. Nine-hundred-ten other recipients also had their medals taken away in 1917 for a variety of reasons. Efforts to restore Walker’s medal proved successful, and in 1977, Dr. Mary Walker’s Medal of Honor was reinstated. Another civilian who had his medal taken away and later restored was the famous showman and cowboy William Frederick Cody. Known as Buffalo Bill, he served as a teamster in Company H, 7 th Kansas Cavalry during the Civil War. In 1872, while serving as a civilian scout with the 3rd U.S. Cavalry, Cody and five others were staking out the enemy during the Indian Plains Wars in Nebraska. Cody got within 50 yards of the Native American camp without being noticed, and with his skill and bravery was able to lead his unit to success. For his actions, he received the Medal of Honor, but the medal was stripped shortly after he died in 1917. Finally, in 1989, after much pressure from Cody’s grandson, his medal was restored along with several other civilian scouts who had their Medal of Honors taken away. There were two sets of fathers and sons to have been awarded the Medal of Honor. We talked about the MacArthurs in a previous article. The other pair was President Theodore Roosevelt and Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. The future
president was a colonel during the Spanish American War in 1898 and led the 1st U.S. Cavalry up San Juan Hill. Known as the Rough Riders, the men charged up the hill amid withering enemy gunfire, and Roosevelt was the first to reach enemy trenches. Since the charge that he led was against orders, some army officials did not want him honored and it took until 2001 for the medal to be awarded. During World War II, the Allies’ main thrust into the mainland of Europe began on June 6, 1944. Known as D-Day, there were five beaches on the coast of Normandy, France, that were assaulted, with the Americans landing on Omaha and Utah beaches. Utah Beach was the westernmost landing zone of the entire invasion and needed to be captured on D-Day to protect the Allies’ flank. The first wave of 32,000 American soldiers encountered only sporadic enemy fire but realized that they had landed over a mile off the intended target beach due to drifting of the landing craft. The highest-ranking officer on the beach, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr., held a council of war in a bomb crater to discuss their options. The 56-year-old cane-wielding son of the famous president supposedly said, “We’ll start the war from here!” The landings continued without further confusion. With just his pistol and cane, the general led several groups of soldiers from the beach and over the seawall. He personally led the troops against the enemy and rallied his men in a feat rarely seen by generals during the 20th century. By the end of the day, the entire 4th Division had landed and
William Frederick Cody, also known as Buffalo Bill
Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. - “We’ll start the war from here”
Tibor Rubin, after being released from 30 months of captivity
