John Eglit (October 17, 1874 – January 31, 1914) was a

seaman Seaman may refer to: * Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew * Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies * Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name) * ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...

serving in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

who received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for bravery. He continued to serve in the navy until being lost at sea while aboard the steamer ''Monroe'' off the shores of Virginia in 1914. His

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

is located at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Biography

Eglit was born October 17, 1874, in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

and after entering the navy he was sent to fight in the Spanish–American War aboard the U.S.S. ''Nashville''. He continued to serve in the navy after the war and went on achieve the rank of Chief Master At Arms. On January 31, 1914, he was a passenger aboard the Old dominion steamer ''Monroe'' when it sank off Virginia's eastern shore. He was declared lost at sea, but was given a

, in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 17 October 1874, Finland. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 521, 7 July 1899. Citation:

On board the U.S.S. Nashville during the operation of cutting the cable leading from Cienfuegos, Cuba, 11 May 1898. Facing the heavy fire of the enemy, Eglit set an example of extraordinary bravery and coolness throughout this action.

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External links

* * * * 1874 births 1914 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Finnish emigrants to the United States Foreign-born Medal of Honor recipients People lost at sea Spanish–American War recipients of the Medal of Honor United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients United States Navy sailors {{US-navy-bio-stub

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

External links