Weedon Edward Osborne (November 13, 1892 – June 6, 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 ...

officer and a recipient of America's highest military 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 ...

—for his actions in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He is one of only three dental officers to have received the medal, the others being Alexander Gordon Lyle and Ben L. Salomon.

Biography

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

native, Weedon Osborne graduated from

Northwestern University Dental School The Northwestern University Dental School was a private dental school that operated from 1891 to 2001 in Evanston, Illinois, United States. History The Northwestern University Dental School opened in 1891. Its first dean was Edgar Swain. The sch ...

in 1915. He was appointed a U.S. Navy Dental Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade, on May 8, 1917. He was assigned duty with the

6th Marine Regiment The 6th Marine Regiment (also referred to as "6th Marines") is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The regiment falls under the command of the 2nd Marine Division of th ...

on March 26, 1918. During the

Battle of Belleau Wood The Battle of Belleau Wood (1–26 June 1918) was a major battle that occurred during the German spring offensive in World War I, near the Marne (river), Marne River in France. The battle was fought by the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division (United State ...

, Osborne's unit participated in the advance on Bouresches,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, about a mile southeast of Belleau Wood. Osborne sought to aid the wounded during the battle and was killed while attempting to carry an injured officer to safety on June 6, 1918. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on that day. Weedon Osborne was 25 years old at the time of his death. He was buried in Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, Belleau, Aisne, France. Osborne's Medal of Honor, a rare "Tiffany Cross" version, is held by the U.S. Navy Museum in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The museum acquired the medal in 2003 from the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

, which had confiscated it the year before after someone had attempted to sell the medal in

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. It is illegal to sell a Medal of Honor within the United States.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Lieutenant, Junior Grade, (Dental Corps), U.S. Navy. Born: 13 November 1892, Chicago, Ill. Appointed from: Illinois. ;Citation

Namesake

The

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

, which served during the 1920s, was named for Lieutenant Osborne. The USS Osborne Dental Clinic, one of four Branch Dental Clinics within the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in

North Chicago, Illinois North Chicago is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 30,759 at the 2020 census making it the third-most populous city by population in the county, after Waukegan and ...

, is named in honor of Lieutenant, Junior Grade Osborne.

Notes

References

: * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Osborne, Weedon E. 1892 births 1918 deaths Military personnel from Chicago United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Northwestern University alumni United States Navy officers Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) American military personnel killed in World War I World War I recipients of the Medal of Honor Naval surgeons 20th-century American dentists

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

Namesake

See also

Notes

References