Eugene P. Smith (August 8, 1871 – March 24, 1918) was a
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 ...
sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, 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 ...
.
Biography
Smith joined the Navy from
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
and by September 9, 1915, was serving as a
Chief
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boat ...
Watertender
A fireman, stoker or boilerman is a person who tends the fire for the running of a boiler, heating a building, or powering a steam engine. Much of the job is hard physical labor, such as shoveling fuel, typically coal, into the boiler's firebox. ...
on the .
On that day, the ''Decatur'' suffered an explosion of unknown cause and four compartments, including the ship's
magazine
A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
, were engulfed in flames. Despite heavy fumes of undetermined origin and the risk of further explosions, Smith and other sailors entered the compartments and rescued three
gunner's mate
The United States Navy and United States Coast Guard occupational rating of gunner's mate (GM) is a designation given by the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) to enlisted sailors who either satisfactorily complete initial Gunner's Mate "A" sch ...
s. Smith was one of the first to enter the compartment in which the three men were trapped, and he returned "between five and eight times" while trying to locate them through the thick smoke. Finding one man, named Elkins, in the farthest corner of the chamber, Smith was partially overcome by the fumes and forced to retreat. After regaining his breath, he re-entered the compartment and saved Elkins. The commanding officer of the ''Decatur'' later stated that, of the crewmen, Smith "did most of all to save his shipmates."
For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor five months later, on February 8, 1916.
Medal of Honor citation
Smith's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
Attached to U.S.S. ''Decatur''; for several times entering compartments on board of ''Decatur'' immediately following an explosion on board that vessel, 9 September 1915, and locating and rescuing injured shipmates.
See also
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients
The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. Recipients must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their own ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Eugene P.
1871 births
1918 deaths
United States Navy sailors
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
Military personnel from Illinois
Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor