Brigadier General John Thomas Kennedy (July 22, 1885 – September 26, 1969) was an Officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

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 actions during the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

and the last surviving US veteran of the war to receive the medal.

Biography

John Kennedy was born in

Hendersonville, South Carolina Hendersonville is an unincorporated community in Colleton County, South Carolina, Colleton County, South Carolina, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 17 Alternate (South Carolina), U.S. Alternate Route 17 south of Walterboro, South Caro ...

. He attended

The Citadel The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a Public college, public United States senior military college, senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one ...

for one year, and graduated from

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

in 1908. Upon graduation he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 6th Cavalry Regiment. He served in the Philippines in 1909 and was awarded the Medal of Honor after being wounded leading an attack into a cave occupied by hostile Moro insurgents. He transferred from the Cavalry to the Field Artillery in January 1917. In World War I he served as a field artillery officer and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the National Army. After the war, he reverted to his Regular Army rank of Captain but was promoted to the rank of Major in June 1920. Kennedy served as the Professor of Military Science at Auburn University from 1926 to 1931. He graduated from the

Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

in 1924 and from the Army War College in 1932. During World War II he was the Post Commander at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from 1942 to 1945 with the rank of Brigadier General. ANCExplorer John Thomas Kennedy grave

He retired from the Army on January 31, 1946, and died at the Veterans Hospital in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

on September 26, 1969. General John T. Kennedy is buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

and his grave is located in Section 7, plot 10076.

Awards

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

Philippine Campaign Medal The Philippine Campaign Medal is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created to denote service of U.S. military men in the Philippine–American War between the years of 1899 an ...

* World War I Victory Medal *

American Defense Service Medal The American Defense Service Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces, established by , by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on June 28, 1941. The medal was intended to recognize those military service members who had served ...

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...

World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal is a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. The Wor ...

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Patian Island,

Philippine Islands The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, July 4, 1909. Entered service at: Orangeburg, S.C. Birth: Hendersonville, S.C. Date of issue: Unknown. Citation:

While in action against hostile Moros, he entered with a few enlisted men the mouth of a cave occupied by a desperate enemy, this act having been ordered after he had volunteered several times. In this action 2d Lt. Kennedy was severely wounded.

Dates of rank

*Cadet, USMA – June 16, 1904 *2nd Lieutenant – February 14, 1908 *1st Lieutenant – December 18, 1914 *Captain – February 26, 1917 *Major (National Army) – August 5, 1917 *Lieutenant Colonel (National Army) – June 25, 1918 *Discharged from National Army – February 15, 1920 *Major – June 20, 1920 *Lieutenant Colonel – March 1, 1932 *Colonel – January 1, 1937 *Brigadier General (Army of the United States) – May 21, 1942 *Retired (with rank of brigadier general) – January 31, 1946

References