John Morris (born January 25, 1855, or February 12, 1862
[References differ to his birth date. The Marine Corps Who's Who site reflects it as February 12, 1862 and the Army Center of Military History, Military times Hall of Valor and the Find a Grave site reflect it as January 25, 1855)] – ?) was a
Corporal serving in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
serving aboard the 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 saving another sailor from drowning.
Biography
Morris was born between January 25, 1855, and February 12, 1862, in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, Ireland
[References differ to his birth location. The Marine Corps Who's Who site reflects it as Dublin, Ireland and the Army Center of Military History, Military times Hallofvalor and the Find a Grave site reflect it as New York City, New York] but immigrated to the United States. In November 1880 he joined the Marine Corps from
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
and was assigned to the marine contingent aboard the . When the ship was at Villefranche,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, December 25, 1881 an ordinary seaman and prisoner named Robert Blizzard attempted to escape custody by jumping overboard. Corporal Morris jumped into the water afterwards to save Blizzard from drowning and for his actions he received the Medal of Honor October 18, 1884. Morris was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps April 20, 1895.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 25 January 1855, New York, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 326, 18 October 1884. For leaping overboard from the U.S. Flagship Lancaster, at Villefranche, France, 25 December 1881, and rescuing from drowning Robert Blizzard, ordinary seaman, a prisoner, who had jumped overboard.
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 ...
Notes
References
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;General
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External links
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1855 births
19th-century Irish people
Military personnel from County Dublin
Year of death missing
United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipients
United States Marines
Irish emigrants to the United States
Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients
Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor
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