Richard Pile (born 1849) was an
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 ...
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
Richard T. Pile was born in 1849 on
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
and, after emigrating to the United States, he joined the Navy in
Boston, Massachusetts on November 26, 1870.
He was stationed aboard the as an ordinary seaman when, on April 12, 1872, several members of the crew were drowning. For his actions received the Medal of Honor March 20, 1905.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Ordinary Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1849, West Indies. Accredited to: Massachusetts. G.O. No.: 176, 9 July 1872.
Citation:
Serving on board the U.S.S. Kansas, Pile 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 his extraordinary heroism and personal exertion prevented greater loss of
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:Pile, Richard
1849 births
Year of death missing
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
United States Navy sailors
Military personnel from Massachusetts
Foreign-born Medal of Honor recipients
Burials in New York (state)
Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor
American people of Barbadian descent
People from the British West Indies