Samuel Gross (originally Samuel Marguiles) (May 9, 1891 – September 13, 1934) was a Private 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 ...

, 23d Company who earned 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 his efforts during the

United States occupation of Haiti The United States occupation of Haiti began on July 28, 1915, when 330 U.S. Marines landed at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after the National City Bank of New York convinced the President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, to take control of ...

in 1915.

Biography

Gross was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. During the

, he participated in battles against the Caco bandit insurgency. During the battle for

Fort Riviere A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, he saved the life of

Smedley Butler Major General Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881June 21, 1940), nicknamed the "Maverick Marine", was a senior United States Marine Corps officer who fought in the Philippine–American War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Mexican Revolution and W ...

, who also was a Medal of Honor recipient and was one of only 19 people to receive 2 Medals of Honor. He died September 9, 1934, and is buried in

Har Nebo Cemetery Har Nebo Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery in the Oxford Circle neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in 1890, it is the oldest privately owned Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia. It is named for Mount Nebo, a Jordanian mountain mention ...

in Philadelphia.vconline.org.uk
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Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps, 23d Co. (Real name is Marguiles, Samuel.) Born: May 9, 1891, Philadelphia, Pa. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. Citation:

In company with members of the 5th, 13th, 23d Companies and the marine and sailor detachment from the , Gross participated in the attack on
Fort Riviere A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
,
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
, November 17, 1915. Following a concentrated drive, several different detachments of marines gradually closed in on the old French bastion fort in an effort to cut off all avenues of retreat for the Caco bandits. Approaching a breach in the wall which was the only entrance to the fort, Gross was the second man to pass through the breach in the face of constant fire from the Cacos and, thereafter, for a 10-minute period, engaged the enemy in desperate hand-to-hand combat until the bastion was captured and Caco resistance neutralized.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gross, Samuel 1891 births 1934 deaths United States Marines United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipients Military personnel from Philadelphia Jewish Medal of Honor recipients United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I Occupation of Haiti recipients of the Medal of Honor 20th-century American Jews

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

Notes

References