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MOH
Presented
by the President in the Name of the Congress, it is the highest honor
that can be bestowed upon any American. The men who wear it call
themselves "recipients" (not winners), for what they
received it for was not a contest...it was a time of terror and death
where their valor was tested, then recognized by a grateful Nation.
All of them feel that they didn't win The Medal...they RECEIVED
it. Frequently called "The Congressional Medal of
Honor," its true title is simply:
MEDAL OF
HONOR
Source:homeofheroes.com |
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The
Medal of Honor was created in 1861. Today there are three types
of MOH: Army, Air Force, and Navy.
Since
the first award of the MOH made March 25, 1863, during the Civil War,
through Operation Enduring Freedom (War in Iraq) there have been:
3,467
Medals of Honor awarded to our nation's bravest Soldiers, Sailors,
Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen and eight civilians
For
3,461 separate acts of heroism
Performed
by 3,448 individuals (including 9
“Unknowns”)
(As
of June 2, 2008)
Source:homeofheroes.com |
| As
of June 2008, there are 105 MOH recipients still with us: 30 - WWII,
14 - Korea, and 61 - Vietnam.
Source:homeofheroes.com |
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FOR
DETAILS ON ALL MOH RECIPIENTS GO TO SOURCES
AT:
HOME
OF HEROES
CMOH
SOCIETY
ARMY
CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY- MOH
List |
POOR
IS THE NATION
THAT HAS NO HEROES;
SHAMEFUL IS THE NATION THAT HAS THEM AND FORGETS
From a military monument at
Bolivar,TN
Source:specialoperations.com |
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MEDAL OF
HONOR RECIPIENT WITH A PANAMA CANAL CONNECTION
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WILLIAM
BADDERS -
NAVY (MOH
- 1939) |
Chief
Machinist's Mate William Badders, U.S. Navy
[Official U.S.
Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical
Center at http://history.navy.mil/]
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Navy
Chief Machinist's Mate William Badders, after joining the
Naval Reserve in 1918 and transferred to the regular Navy the
following year, trained as a diver. He was awarded the Navy
Cross for "extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty"
during the salvage of USS S-51 (SS-162) in 1926.
Later he received commendations for his diving work in salvaging
USS S-4 (SS-109) in 1928 and the Japanese steamship Kaku
Maru in 1932, and for clearing the propeller of USS Bittern
(AM-36) at sea in 1933. He was
designated a Master Diver in 1931.
Badders was awarded the Medal of
Honor for heroism during the rescue of survivors of USS Squalus
(SS-192) following accidental sinking on May 23, 1939, off
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and subsequent salvage of that
submarine. The submarine -- then one of the U.S. Navy's newest
S-type diesel-electric submarines) -- suffered a catastrophic valve
failure during a test dive. Partially flooded, the submarine
sank to the bottom 240 feet down, with 26 crew members
drowning. Navy divers (with Badders as the senior member of
the rescue chamber crew) and salvage ships responded quickly and
began the following day operations to rescue 32 crew members and
one civilian trapped in the forward section of the submarine.
Using the newly developed rescue chamber (a revised version of a
diving bell), the rescue crew in the next six hours raised to
the surface 25 survivors in three trips by the rescue
chamber. After serious difficulty with tangled cables, a
fourth trip finally rescued the last seven survivors on May 25. A
fifth and final descent (considered much more dangerous than the
earlier descents) by the rescue chamber with only Badders and John
Mihalowski, a member of his crew, confirmed there were no
survivors in the aft torpedo room compartment. Badders then
served as a diver during the three-month salvage effort that
involved 640 dives. Three other members of his rescue crew,
including Mihalowski, were also awarded the Medal of Honor (names
and photo below).
After transferring to the Fleet
Reserve in 1940 upon retiring from the Navy, Badders became master diver-salvage master for the Panama Canal where he
established a diving school and an organization to ensure the
functioning
of the Canal. He worked
for the Mechanical Division in the Balboa shops (on the Pacific
side of the Canal) and later in the Cristobal shops at Mount Hope (on the
Atlantic side). He was the Chief of the Salvage and Diving
School at Gatun, and Master Diver for the Mechanical
Division and the Panama Canal Marine Bureau. (Source:
Captain Julius Grigore, Jr., USN, Retired, emails to WHO)
Badders died Nov 23, 1986 and was
buried in the San Francisco National Cemetery in San Francisco,
California.
Sources Used:
Official U.S. Navy Photographs from the collections of the Naval Historical
Center at http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-b/w-baddrs.htm
Captain Julius Grigore, Jr., USN,
Retired, emails to WHO
on Badders’ association with the Panama Canal.
Detailed account of the accident
and rescue efforts are in USS Squalus (SS-192): The Sinking,
Rescue of Survivors, and Subsequent Salvage, 1939, Naval
Historical Center at http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq99-1.htm
Home of Heroes.com
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The President of the United States
in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor
to
BADDERS, WILLIAM
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Rank and
organization: Chief Machinist's Mate, U.S. Navy.
Place and date: At sea
following sinking of the U.S.S. Squalus, 23 May 1939.
Entered service at:
Indianapolis, Ind. Born: 16 September 1900, Harrisburg, Ill.
Other Navy awards:
Navy Cross, Navy-Marine Corps Medal.
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Citation:
For extraordinary heroism in the
line of his profession during the rescue and salvage operations
following the sinking of the U.S.S. Squalus on 13 May 1939.
During the rescue operations, Badders, as senior member of the
rescue chamber crew, made the last extremely hazardous trip of
the rescue chamber to attempt to rescue any possible survivors
in the flooded after portion of the Squalus. He was fully aware
of the great danger involved in that if he and his assistant
became incapacitated, there was no way in which either could be
rescued. During the salvage operations, Badders made important
and difficult dives under the most hazardous conditions. His
outstanding performance of duty contributed much to the success
of the operations and characterizes conduct far above and beyond
the ordinary call of duty.
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USS Squalus
(SS-192) Rescue and Salvage Operations, 1939 - Awards
presentation
Secretary of the Navy Charles Edison presented Medals of
Honor to four men (Navy divers) for heroism during rescue
and salvage operations following the accidental sinking of Squalus
on 23 May 1939. The ceremonies took place at the Navy
Department on 19 January 1940.
The men are (from left to right):
Chief Machinist's Mate William Badders;
Chief Torpedoman John Mihalowski;
Chief Boatswain's Mate Orson L. Crandall; and
Chief Metalsmith James Harper McDonald.
[Official U.S. Navy
Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical
Center at http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-b/w-baddrs.htm]
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Citation and color photo
courtesy of Home Of Heroes.com
| This
page last updated: July
4, 2008 |
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| Site
developed, owned and maintained by |
| William
H. Ormsbee, Jr. 1999-2001
/ 2005-2008 |
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WHO's
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RETROSPECT site 1999-2001) |
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