National Medal of Honor Day: Recipient ties to The Liberty Coast

By Stephanie Thompson

The Medal of Honor (MoH) was first awarded on March 25, 1863, to Army Pvt. Jacob Parrott. In 1990, Congress passed a resolution establishing March 25 as National Medal of Honor Day.

A total of 3,526 Medals of Honor have been awarded, though 19 Servicemembers have received the MoH twice. The most recent MoH recipient was Army Sgt. Maj. Thomas “Patrick” Payne on September 11, 2020.

Of the thousands of honorees, six have called Jacksonville home, one was born here, and one grew up in St. Augustine.

A ninth recipient—though from Clearwater, Fla.—has a special tie to The Liberty Coast: The Naval Branch Health Clinic (NBHC) at Naval Station Mayport was dedicated to Hospital Corpsman Third Class Robert “Doc” Ingram on March 26, 2004.

President William J. Clinton presented the Medal of Honor to Ingram on June 10, 1998, for serving above and beyond the call of duty at clear risk to his own life on March 28, 1966. His award citation states:

“...the platoon ranks were decimated. Oblivious to the danger, Petty Officer Ingram crawled across the bullet spattered terrain to reach a downed Marine. As he administered aid, a bullet went through the palm of his hand. Calls for “CORPSMAN” echoed across the ridge.

“Bleeding, he edged across the fire-swept landscape, collecting ammunition from the dead and administering aid to the wounded. Receiving two more wounds before realizing the third wound was life-threatening, he looked for a way off the face of the ridge, but again he heard the call for corpsman and again, he resolutely answered. Though severely wounded three times, he rendered aid to those incapable until he finally reached the right flank of the platoon.

“While dressing the head wound of another corpsman, he sustained his fourth bullet wound. From sixteen hundred hours until just prior to sunset, Petty Officer Ingram pushed, pulled, cajoled, and doctored his Marines. Enduring the pain from his many wounds and disregarding the probability of his demise, Petty Officer Ingram’s intrepid actions saved many lives that day.”

You can learn more about the stories of the following MoH recipients with ties to The Liberty Coast at HomeOfTheHeroes.com.

Hometown of Jacksonville

• Second Lt. (Air Corps) Robert Edward Femoyer, U.S. Army Air Forces, WWII, Nov. 2, 1944

• Staff Sgt. Hammet Lee Bowen, Jr., U.S. Army, Vietnam War, June 27, 1969

• Pfc. Bruce Wayne Carter, U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam War, Aug. 7, 1969

• Pfc. Robert Henry Jenkins, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam War, March 5, 1969

• Lt. [then Lieutenant Junior Grade] Clyde Everett Lassen, U.S. Navy, Vietnam War, June 19, 1968

• Staff Sgt. Clifford Chester Sims, U.S. Army, Vietnam War, Feb. 21, 1968

Hometown of St. Augustine

• Sgt. Clarence Milville Condon, U.S. Army, Philippine Insurrection, Nov. 5, 1899

Connection to Jacksonville

• Lt. Thomas Rolland Norris, U.S. Navy, Vietnam War, April 10-13, 1972. Currently living in Idaho, hometown of Silver Spring, Md., born in Jacksonville, Fla.

• Hospital Corpsman Third Class Robert R. Ingram, U.S. Navy, Vietnam War, March 28, 1966. From and currently living in Clearwater, Fla. Naval Branch Health Clinic Mayport was dedicated to Ingram on March 26, 2004.