Charles J. Gidding or Giddings (1853–1943)
[ was a ]United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
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 military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
.
Biography
Born in about 1853 in Bangor, Maine
Bangor ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Penobscot County. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's 3rd-largest settlement, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121).
Modern Bangor ...
, Gidding joined the Navy from that state.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 ...
on the . On that day, while ''Plymouth'' was at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Gidding and another sailor, Landsman William Corey, attempted to rescue a crewmate who had fallen from the ship's rigging
Rigging comprises the system of ropes, cables and chains, which support a sailing ship or sail boat's masts—''standing rigging'', including shrouds and stays—and which adjust the position of the vessel's sails and spars to which they are ...
into the water. For this action, both men were awarded the Medal of Honor two weeks later, on August 9. Another of ''Plymouths crew, Seaman Thomas Kersey, rescued a shipmate from drowning on the same day and also received the medal.Serving on board the U.S.S. ''Plymouth'', Gidding showed heroic conduct in trying to save the life of one of the crew of that ship, who had fallen overboard from aloft at the Navy Yard, New York, 26 July 1876.
Gidding died on Nov 28, 1943 and is buried in Grove Hill Cemetery, Waltham, Massachusetts (Section A, Lot 13.35, Grave 1).
See also
* List of Medal of Honor recipients during peacetime
Prior to 1963, the Medal of Honor could be awarded for actions not involving direct combat with "an enemy of the United States" or "opposing foreign force (actions against a party in which the U.S. is not directly engaged in war with).DoD Awards ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gidding, Charles
1850s births
1943 deaths
Military personnel from Bangor, Maine
United States Navy sailors
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor