Chester Howard West (January 3, 1888 – May 20, 1935) was a soldier in the
United States Army who received the
Medal of Honor for his actions during
World War I.
Biography
West was born in
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Larimer County, Colorado
Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359 ...
on January 3, 1888, and later enlisted for World War I in
California.
After the war, he married Maggie Elizabeth Van Sickle of
Southside on
Christmas Day, 1932, and began working as a farm hand for Sam McCausland, the son of Civil War Confederate Gen.
John McCausland.
West died May 20, 1935, shot and murdered by Sam McCausland at West's home during an altercation. West later died at a hospital in
Gallipolis, Ohio and McCausland was convicted of second-degree murder.
West is buried at the Van Sickle Cemetery in
Southside,
West Virginia, but his grave-site was lost as the cemetery became part of the
Chief Cornstalk Wildlife Management Area in the 1970s.
The first attempt to rediscover West's grave was 2012 by Jack Crutchfield of West Virginia Public Television's “Obscurely Famous” series, however Crutchfield was unsuccessful. In 2015, the grave was successfully rediscovered in 2015 by Derrick Jackson, a
Boy Scout
A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...
who used the rediscovery of the grave as his
Eagle Scout service project. West was reinterred at the Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery in
Dunbar, West Virginia on May 12, 2018, at 2:00 pm with full Military Honors with escort and Honor Guard provided by the West Virginia Patriot Guard Rides
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company D, 363d Infantry, 91st Division. Place and date: Near Bois-de-Cheppy, France, September 26, 1918. Entered service at: Los Banos, Calif. Birth: Fort Collins, Colo. G.O. No.: 34, W.D., 1919.
Citation:
While making his way through a thick fog with his automatic rifle section, his advance was halted by direct and unusual machinegun fire from 2 guns. Without aid, he at once dashed through the fire and, attacking the nest, killed 2 of the gunners, 1 of whom was an officer. This prompt and decisive hand-to-hand encounter on his part enabled his company to advance farther without the loss of a man.
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. The recipient must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their ...
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War I
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Chester H.
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
United States Army soldiers
United States Army personnel of World War I
People from Fort Collins, Colorado
1888 births
1935 deaths
World War I recipients of the Medal of Honor
Military personnel from Colorado
Burials in West Virginia
Deaths by firearm in Ohio