CHELSEA'S DECORATED SERVICEMEN Medal of Honor - Distinguished Service Cross - Navy Cross
Established early in the Civil War to "promote efficiency in the Navy", the Medal of Honor rose to prominence in American history and heritage. Only 3,442 Americans have been awarded the Medal of Honor, and of them two were from Chelsea. These heroes are a vanishing breed whose valiant history MUST be preserved for future generations. Fewer than 3,500 Medals of Honor have been awarded to servicemen from our 50 States. Few are the cities that can claim one of these greatest of our Nation's heroes, but no city is devoid of those they can claim as their own hometown heroes. General George Patton, who did not receive the Medal of Honor, often said, "I'd sell my immortal soul for that medal (Medal of Honor)." General Patton did receive two awards of the Distinguished Service Cross, about which he stated: "I would rather be a lieutenant with the Distinguished Service Cross, that a general without one." This second tier in the Pyramid of Honor is no small distinction. From Bernard J.D. Irwin's heroism in 1861, (see story at the bottom of this page), to the courage of two Army Rangers who sacrificed their lives in Somalia for the sake of their comrades in 1993, the history of the Medal of Honor is a saga that uniquely defines America and stands as a tribute to all veterans of our military services through each war and conflict. Since our Nation's birth in 1776, no generation of Americans has been spared the responsibility of defending freedom through "force of arms". Since the Civil War Medals of Honor have distinguished the bravest of these brave. MARCUS M. HASKELL - (Civil War) Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 35th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Chelsea, Mass. Birth: Chelsea, Massachusetts Date of issue: 18 November 1896. Medal of Honor Citation: Although wounded and exposed to a heavy fire from the enemy, at the risk of his own life he rescued a badly wounded comrade and succeeded in conveying him to a place of safety. RODNEY J. EVANS - (Vietnam) Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company D, 1st Bat., 12th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. Place and date: Tay Ninh Province, Republic of Vietnam Entered service at: Montgomery, Al. Born: 17 July 1948, Chelsea, Ma. Date of issue: 18 July 1969 Medal of Honor Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Evans distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism while serving as a squad leader in a reconnaissance sweep through heavy vegetation to reconnoiter a strong enemy position. As the force approached a well-defined trail, the platoon scout warned that the trail was booby-trapped. Sgt. Evans led his squad on a route parallel to the trail. The force had started to move forward when a nearby squad was hit by the blast of a concealed mine. Looking to his right Sgt. Evans saw a second enemy device. With complete disregard for his safety he shouted a warning to his men, dived to the ground and crawled toward the mine. Just as he reached it an enemy soldier detonated the explosive and Sgt. Evans absorbed the full impact with his body. His gallant and selfless action saved his comrades from probable death or injury and served as an inspiration to his entire unit. Sgt. Evans' gallantry in action at the cost of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army. Presentation: To His Family at the White House By President Richard M. Nixon - Apr 22, 1971 Buried at: Liberty Hill Cemetery, Florala, Alabama
While the Medal of Honor is the pinnacle of the military's Pyramid of Honor, each branch of service has its own "highest award". The Distinguished Service Cross is the Army's highest award, the Navy Cross the highest award presented by the Navy to members of the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard, and the Air Force Cross is that branch of service's highest award. These three are also the highest U.S. Military awards that can be bestowed upon civilians or members of Allied, Foreign military services. In all, more than 20,000 of these have been presented. The following is a list of Chelsea residents or those born in Chelsea who have been awarded these medals.
Lloyd H. Cook Captain,7th Machine Gun Battlion, U.S. Army, World War 1 Distinguished Service Cross October 20, 1918 Claires-Chenes Woods Hyman Silverman Corporal, 60th Infantry Division, U.S. Army, World War 1 Distinguished Service Cross October 27, 1918 Verdun Frank Whitehead Captain, 5th Regiment, USMC, World War 1 Distinguished Service Cross October 4, 1918 St. Etienne Navy Cross October 4, 1918 St. Etienne Bert William Devlin P.F.C., 5th Regiment, USMC, World War 1 Distinguished Service Cross October 5, 1918 Blanc Mont Preston Doane Fogg 1 LT., 309th Infantry Division, Army, World War 1 Distinguished Service Cross October 16, 1918 Champign Eulles Joseph A. Gainard* Captain, US Navy Navy Cross City of Flint Incident 1939 (See below) Benjamin Yabovitz Private, 101st Infantry Division, Army, World War 1 Distinguished Service Cross September 12, 1918 St. Remy
*Joseph Aloysius Gainard (11 October 1889 - 23 December 1943) was a Captain in the United States Navy who served during World Wars I and II. Born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve Force on 23 November 1917. He received the Navy Cross for distinguished service while Master of the American merchant steamer SS City of Flint, seized by a German cruiser on the high seas on 9 October 1939 but returned to him in a Norwegian fjord on 3 November 1939. Recalled to active duty on 30 July 1941, he commanded the submarine decoy ship Big Horn (AO-45) in the Caribbean, then commanded the attack transport Bolivar (APA-34) in the Pacific. Illness took Captain Gainard from this duty and he died in the U.S. Naval Hospital at San Diego, California, on 23 December 1943. The destroyer USS Gainard (DD-706) was named in his honor.
The FIRST Medal of Honor Bernard J.D. Irwin wasn't thinking about medals that February morning in 1861 for at that time there was no such thing for American soldiers. Instead the Army Surgeon's mind was occupied with concerns for a young Arizona Territory boy and a group of fellow soldiers. Days earlier Cochise and a band of Apache warriors had captured the boy. The 7th Infantry's 2d Lt. George Bascom had immediately pursued with 60 men on a desperate rescue mission. Now word had reached Fort Breckenridge that the greatly superior Apache force had surrounded Bascom and his men and imperiled their own survival. Accustomed to using his medical skills to save lives, Irwin was determined to now use his military skills to save his comrades. Unfortunately only 14 men could be spared from the garrison, these to be Irwin's rescue party. No horses could be spared for the mission, so Irwin and his 14 soldiers departed Fort Breckinridge on mules. Faced with a trek of 100 miles in the midst of a winter blizzard, the logistics of the mission were as improbable as the possibility of encountering the much larger enemy force, defeating them, and rescuing the captives. None-the-less the Irish-born surgeon was determined to try. "D-Day" came on February 13, 1861 when Irwin's small rescue party encountered Cochise and his warriors at Apache Pass, Arizona. But it wasn't a battle so much as it was a TACTICAL engagement. With a carefully laid out plan and maximum placement of his 14 men, Irwin succeeded in convincing the Indian warriors that he had arrived with a much larger force, causing them to withdraw. Bascom's 60 men were liberated and joined Irwin and his 14 soldiers. The unified force then pursued Cochise into the mountains where they were able to engage him and rescue the captive boy. Irwin's heroic rescue occurred almost a year before the Medal of Honor was introduced to the US Congress. Indeed, Irwin himself did not receive the Medal of Honor until January 24, 1894, more than 30 years later. But his actions the cold mornings of February 13-14, 1861 are recorded in history as the FIRST MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION.