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Kentucky Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients
On November 12, 2001:
The Kentucky Medal of Honor Memorial was dedicated in Louisville, Kentucky. The Memorial honors 56 recipients of the Medal of Honor from Kentucky. The Medal of Honor is our nation's highest decoration for battlefield valor. The monument features a six foot statue of John Squires , a recipient of the Medal of Honor from Louisville. The statue was sculpted by Doyle Glass.
The Medal of Honor is America's highest award for combat valor. Its stature is so high that President Harry S. Truman, a WWI veteran with a deep understanding of the horrors of combat and the need for extraordinary heroism to overcome them, once told a gathering of WWII recipients: "I'd rather have this medal than be president". General George S. Patton, an outstanding combat soldier who also had a clear grasp of combat bravery, told one recipient as he placed the coveted medal around the hero's neck: "I'd give my immortal soul for that medal".
Only an act of the most conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity, far above and beyond the call of duty, in the presence of an armed enemy merits the Medal of Honor. The deed must involve a clear risk of life. It must be that type of voluntary act which, if the hero did not do it, would not subject him to undue criticism. In addition, at least two eyewitnesses must attest to the deed. By adhering to these strict criteria the armed forces have reserved the Medal of Honor soley for the "bravest of the brave".
Of the 13 million men who served our country during WWII, only 433 received the Medal of Honor. In other words, only 1 in every 30,000 servicemen received our nation's highest decoration for combat valor. Only 190 of those brave men survived to receive their medals. John Squires was one of the 243 recipients who died in the service of his country. He was the first Kentuckian to receive the medal during WWII. At the time the medal was awarded, at 18 years of age, he was the youngest Army man to receive it. He was the only serviceman from Louisville and Jefferson County to receive the Medal during WWII.
Medal of Honor
Here is a complete list of all the Medal of Honor recipients from Kentucky.
Civil War 1861-1865
Army Captain William P. Black
Army Private John C. Callahan
Army Sergeant John S. Darrough
Army Private John Davis
Army Drummer William H. Horsfall
Army Private Aaron Hudson
Army Private Henry B. Mattingly
Army Sergeant Francis M. McMillen
Navy Landsman Daniel Noble
Army Private Oliver P. Rood
Army Sergeant Andrew J. Smith
Army Private William Steinmetz
Army Doctor Mary E. Walker
Army Major John F. Weston
Army Colonel James A. Williamson
Indian Campaigns 1870-1891
Army Second Lieutenant Thomas Cruse
Army First Sergeant William L. Day
Army Corporal John J. Givens
Army Private William M. Harris
Army Captain John B. Kerr
Army Private Franklin M. McDonald
Army Private George D. Scott
Army Sergeant Thomas Shaw
Army Private Thomas W. Stivers
Army Private Thomas Sullivan
Army Saddler Otto E. Voit
Army Sergeant Brent Woods
Actions in Peacetime 1871-1910
Navy Seaman Edward W. Boers
Navy Watertender Edward A. Clary
Navy Quarter Gunner George Holt
Wars of American Expansion 1897-1902
Army Colonel J. Franklin Bell
Army First Lieutenant Benjamin F. Hardaway
Army Private James J. Nash
World War I 1917-1919
Army Sergeant Willie Sandlin
World War II 1941-1945
Marine Corps Corporal Richard E. Bush
Army Technical Sergeant Morris E. Crain
Marine Corps Private First Class Leonard F. Mason
Marine Corps Reserve Private First Class Wesley Phelps
Army Private Wilburn K. Ross
Marine Corps Private First Class Luther Skaggs Jr.
Army Staff Sergeant Junior J. Spurrier
Army Sergeant John C. Squires
Korean War 1950-1953
Marine Corps Captain William E. Barber
Marine Corps Private First Class William B. Baugh
Army Corporal John W. Collier
Army First Lieutenant Carl H. Dodd
Army Second Lieutenant Darwin K. Kyle
Army Private First Class David M. Smith
Army Private First Class Ernest E. West
Vietnam War 1961-1975
Army Sergeant Charles C. Fleek
Army Staff Sergeant Don Jenkins
Army Private First Class Billy L. Lauffer
Army Sergeant First Class Gary L. Littrell
Army Second Lieutenant John J. McGinty III
Army Private First Class David P. Nash
Marine Corps Lance Corporal Joe C. Paul
The Kentucky Medal of Honor Memorial was dedicated on November 12, 2001, the day after Veteran's Day. Two Kentucky recipients of the Medal of Honor, several military dignitaries, and the Governor were present at the historic event. The Memorial is a reminder that freedom is not free and that our great country exists because of the sacrifice of those who have gone before us. This is especially significant after the tragic events of September 11, 2001.
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