James Smith (born 1838) was a seaman serving in the
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 ...
who received 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. ...
for bravery.
Biography
Smith was born in 1838 in the
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...
before it became part of the United States and after immigrating to the United States he joined the navy. His navy enlistment papers state that he was a "Sandwich Islander" (Hawaiian). He was stationed aboard the as a seaman when, on April 12, 1872, several members of the crew including the ship's captain were drowning near Greytown,
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
. For his actions received the Medal of Honor July 9, 1872.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1838, Hawaiian Islands. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 176, 9 July 1872.
Citation:
Serving on board the U.S.S. Kansas, Smith displayed great coolness and self-possession at the time Comdr. A. F. Crosman and others were drowned near Greytown, Nicaragua, 12 April 1872, and by extraordinary heroism and personal exertion, prevented greater loss of life.
See also
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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 Award ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, James
1838 births
American military personnel of Native Hawaiian descent
Year of death missing
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
United States Navy sailors
Military personnel from Hawaii
Foreign-born Medal of Honor recipients
Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor