Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
FOUT, FREDERICK W.
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, 15th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery. Place and date: Near Harpers Ferry, W. Va., 15 September 1862. Entered service at: Indianapolis, Ind. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 2 November 1896. Citation: Voluntarily gathered the men of the battery together, remanned the guns, which had been ordered abandoned by an officer, opened fire, and kept up the same on the enemy until after the surrender.
HALLING, LUOVI
Rank and organization: Boatswain's Mate First Class, U.S. Navy. Born: 7 August 1867, Stockholm, Sweden. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 172, 4 October 1904. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Missouri, for heroism in attempting to rescue from drowning Cecil C. Young, ordinary seaman, 15 September 1904.
PETERS, ALEXANDER
Rank and organization: Boatswain's Mate First Class, U.S. Navy. Born: 16 November 1869, Russia. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 172, 4 October 1904. Citation: For heroism in attempting to rescue from drowning Cecil C. Young, ordinary seaman, 15 September 1904, while serving on board the U.S.S. Missouri.
HAYDEN, DAVID E.
Rank and organization: Hospital Apprentice First Class, U.S. Navy, serving with the 2d Battalion, 6th Regiment, U.S. Marines. Place and date: Thiaucourt, France, 15 September 1918. Entered service at: Texas. Born: 2 October 1897 Florence, Tex. Citation: For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. During the advance, when Cpl. Creed was mortally wounded while crossing an open field swept by machinegun fire, Hayden unhesitatingly ran to his assistance and, finding him so severely wounded as to require immediate attention, disregarded his own personal safety to dress the wound under intense machinegun fire, and then carried the wounded man back to a place of safety.
*PIKE, EMORY J.
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, Division Machinegun Officer, 82d Division. Place and date: Near Vandieres, France, 15 September 1918. Entered service at: Des Moines, lowa. Birth: Columbia City, lowa. G.O. No.: 16, W.D., 1919. Citation: Having gone forward to reconnoiter new machinegun positions, Lt. Col. Pike offered his assistance in reorganizing advance infantry units which had become disorganized during a heavy artillery shelling. He succeeded in locating only about 20 men, but with these he advanced and when later joined by several infantry platoons rendered inestimable service in establishing outposts, encouraging all by his cheeriness, in spite of the extreme danger of the situation. When a shell had wounded one of the men in the outpost, Lt. Col. Pike immediately went to his aid and was severely wounded himself when another shell burst in the same place. While waiting to be brought to the rear, Lt. Col. Pike continued in command, still retaining his jovial manner of encouragement, directing the reorganization until the position could be held. The entire operation was carried on under terrific bombardment, and the example of courage and devotion to duty, as set by Lt. Col. Pike, established the highest standard of morale and confidence to all under his charge. The wounds he received were the cause of his death.
*BAUSELL, LEWIS KENNETH
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 17 April 1924, Pulaski, Va. Accredited to: District of Columbia. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Peleliu Island, Palau Group, 15 September 1944. Valiantly placing himself at the head of his squad, Cpl. Bausell led the charge forward against a hostile pillbox which was covering a vital sector of the beach and, as the first to reach the emplacement, immediately started firing his automatic into the aperture while the remainder of his men closed in on the enemy. Swift to act, as a Japanese grenade was hurled into their midst, Cpl. Bausell threw himself on the deadly weapon, taking the full blast of the explosion and sacrificing his own life to save his men. His unwavering loyalty and inspiring courage reflect the highest credit upon Cpl. Bausell and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
ROUH, CARLTON ROBERT
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. Place and date: Peleliu Island, Palau group, 15 September 1944. Entered service at: New Jersey. Born: 11 May 1919, Lindenwold, N.J. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while attached to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Peleliu Island, Palau group, 15 September 1944. Before permitting his men to use an enemy dugout as a position for an 81-mm. mortar observation post, 1st Lt. Rouh made a personal reconnaissance of the pillbox and, upon entering, was severely wounded by Japanese rifle fire from within. Emerging from the dugout, he was immediately assisted by 2 marines to a less exposed area but, while receiving first aid, was further endangered by an enemy grenade which was thrown into their midst. Quick to act in spite of his weakened condition, he lurched to a crouching position and thrust both men aside, placing his own body between them and the grenade and taking the full blast of the explosion himself. His exceptional spirit of loyalty and self-sacrifice in the face of almost certain death reflects the highest credit upon 1st Lt. Rouh and the U.S. Naval Service.
SMITH, JOHN LUCIAN
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Marine Corps, Marine Fighter Squadron 223, Place and date: In the Solomon Islands area, August-September 1942. Entered service at: Oklahoma. Born: 26 December 1914, Lexington, Okla. Other Navy award: Legion of Merit. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and heroic achievement in aerial combat above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of Marine Fighting Squadron 223 during operations against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands area, August-September 1942. Repeatedly risking his life in aggressive and daring attacks, Maj. Smith led his squadron against a determined force, greatly superior in numbers, personally shooting down 16 Japanese planes between 21 August and 15 September 1942. In spite of the limited combat experience of many of the pilots of this squadron, they achieved the notable record of a total of 83 enemy aircraft destroyed in this period, mainly attributable to the thorough training under Maj. Smith and to his intrepid and inspiring leadership. His bold tactics and indomitable fighting spirit, and the valiant and zealous fortitude of the men of his command not only rendered the enemy's attacks ineffective and costly to Japan, but contributed to the security of our advance base. His loyal and courageous devotion to duty sustains and enhances the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
*LOPEZ, BALDOMERO
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: During Inchon invasion in Korea, 15 September 1950. Entered service at: Tampa, Fla. Born: 23 August 1925, Tampa, Fla. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a marine platoon commander of Company A, in action against enemy aggressor forces. With his platoon 1st Lt. Lopez was engaged in the reduction of immediate enemy beach defenses after landing with the assault waves. Exposing himself to hostile fire, he moved forward alongside a bunker and prepared to throw a hand grenade into the next pillbox whose fire was pinning down that sector of the beach. Taken under fire by an enemy automatic weapon and hit in the right shoulder and chest as he lifted his arm to throw, he fell backward and dropped the deadly missile. After a moment, he turned and dragged his body forward in an effort to retrieve the grenade and throw it. In critical condition from pain and loss of blood, and unable to grasp the hand grenade firmly enough to hurl it, he chose to sacrifice himself rather than endanger the lives of his men and, with a sweeping motion of his wounded right arm, cradled the grenade under him and absorbed the full impact of the explosion. His exceptional courage, fortitude, and devotion to duty reflect the highest credit upon 1st Lt. Lopez and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
TODAY IN MILITARY HISTORY
15 September
◆1054 Battle of Atapuerca: Leon-Castile defeats Navarre.
◆1448 Battle of Caravaggio: Muzio Attendolo Sforza defeats the Venetians.
◆1596 The Earl of Essex sacks Cadiz.
◆1631 Imperial troops under Tilly take Leipzig.
◆1694 Venetians capture Chios from the Turks.
◆1776 British forces occupied New York City during the American Revolution. British forces captured Kip's Bay, Manhattan, during the American Revolution.
◆1857 William Howard Taft was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He served as 26th president (R) of the United States (1909-1913) and as chief justice. He is most remembered for his "dollar diplomacy."
◆1857 Mormon leader Brigham Young called out the Nauvoo Legion to fight the U.S. Troops if they enter Utah Territory.
◆1862 Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson captures Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and 12,000 Union soldiers as General Robert E. Lee's army moves north into Maryland.
◆1862 John T. Wilder, the Union commander at Munfordville, used unconventional methods to stall Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s advance through Kentucky.
◆1904 Wilbur Wright made his 1st controlled half-circle while in flight.
◆1914 President Woodrow Wilson ordered the Punitive Expedition out of Mexico. The Expedition, headed by General John Pershing, had been searching for Pancho Villa, a Mexican revolutionary.
◆1914 Battle of the Aisne begins between Germans & French.
◆1935 In Berlin, the Reich under Adolf Hitler adopted The Nuremberg Laws which deprived German Jews of their citizenship, made the swastika the official symbol of Nazi Germany and established gradations of "Jewishness."
◆1941 The Attorney General rules that the Neutrality Act is not violated when US ships carry war material to British territories in the Near and Far East or the Western Hemisphere.
◆1942 Offshore at Guadalcanal, the Japanese submarine, I-19 sinks the USS Wasp with three torpedoes, also damaging the battleship USS North Carolina. A destroyer is sunk as well.
◆1943 On the Salerno beachhead there is a lull in the fighting. German forces are regrouping. They have assembled the equivalent of 4 divisions with as many as 100 tanks. The US 5th Army now has 7 Allied divisions and about 200 tanks ashore. In a morning inspection of the beachhead, Alexander decides to replace General Dawley, commanding the US 6th Corps. To the south, the British 8th Army is advancing. A group of war correspondents manages to drive from beyond the British 8th Army frontline and makes contact with US 5th Army on the Salerno beachhead. Meanwhile the island of Procida in Naples Bay is captured by Allied forces.
◆1944 Elements of the US 11th Corps (Hall) land on the Gila Peninsula on the southwest of Morotai. The initial landing force includes the US 31st Division with an additional regiment (about 19,960 men). There is no Japanese resistance. Naval support is provided by a force commanded by Admiral Barbey which includes 6 escort carriers and cruisers and destroyers. The US 5th Air Force provides additional air cover. General MacArthur is present for the landing. Priority is given to the construction of airfields.
◆1944 Elements of the US 1st Marine Division (Rupertus), part of 3rd Amphibious Corps (Geiger), land on the southwest coast of Peleliu. The naval force commanded by Admiral Oldendorf remains in support. The Japanese garrison is consists of a regiment of 14th Division under the command of Colonel Nakagawa. There is limited resistance on the beaches. American attempts to advance inland, however, meet strong resistance. By the end of the day, the beachhead is only a few hundred yards wide.
◆1944 The US 1st Army (part of US 12th Army Group) captures Maastricht and Eisden while US 3rd Army takes Nancy and Epinal. Meanwhile, the US 7th Army (Patch) and French 1st Army (de Lattre), moving north from southern France, are placed under the authority of Eisenhower and SHAEF.
◆1945 A hurricane in southern Florida and the Bahamas destroys 366 planes and 25 blimps at Richmond Naval Air Station in Florida.
◆1945 The US Department of War issues figures showing that a total of 7,306,000 soldiers (including a small number of Allied forces and civilians) and 126,859,000 tons of war cargo have been moved from American ports to all fronts between December 1941 and August 31, 1945.
◆1950 This was D-Day for the Inchon landing by Joint Task Force 7. This 230-ship task force, commanded by Vice Admiral Arthur D. Struble, was the largest naval armada since World War II. Major General Oliver P. Smith commanded the 1st Marine Division that made the initial amphibious assault at Inchon as part of X Corps, commanded by Major General Edward M. Almond with the Army's 7th Infantry Division in reserve. The 3rd Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment seized Wolmi Island in Inchon Harbor in the early morning as a prelude to the main landing in the late afternoon. Meanwhile, the battleship USS Missouri bombarded the East Coast of Korea as a diversion to the landing.
◆1950 The 3d Battalion, 5th Marines landed on Wolmi-do Island in Inchon Harbor and secured it prior to the main landing. The 1st Marine Division under the command of Major General Oliver P. Smith landed at Inchon and began the Inchon-Seoul campaign.
◆1950 U.S. X Corps became operational with the1st Marine Division and the 7th Infantry Division attached.
◆1961 The US resumed underground nuclear testing.
◆1964 The National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam, or as it was more popularly known, the National Liberation Front (NLF), calls for a general military offensive to take advantage of the 'disarray' among the South Vietnamese, particularly after the abortive coup attempt against General Khanh's government in Saigon on September 13 and 14.
◆1967 Operation Crimson Tide in Mekong Delta.
◆1990 France announced it would send 4,000 more soldiers to the Persian Gulf and expel Iraqi military attaches in Paris in response to Iraq’s raids on French, Belgian and Canadian diplomatic compounds in Kuwait.
◆1994 In a terse ultimatum from the Oval Office, President Clinton told Haiti's military leaders in a prime-time address: "Your time is up. Leave now or we will force you from power."