Thomas Mitchell (1857 – July 18, 1942) was a
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 ...
sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, 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 valo ...
.
Born in 1857 in
New York, New York, Mitchell joined the Navy from that state. By November 17, 1879, he was serving as a
landsman on the at
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
, China. On that day, he rescued a shipmate, First Class Boy M. F. Caulan, from drowning. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor five years later, on October 18, 1884.
Mitchell's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
Serving on board the U.S.S. ''Richmond'', Mitchell rescued from drowning, M. F. Caulan, first class boy, serving with him on the same vessel, at Shanghai, China, 17 November 1879.
Mitchell left the Navy while still a landsman. He died on July 18, 1942, at age 84 or 85 and was buried at
Long Island National Cemetery
Long Island National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in Suffolk County, New York. It is surrounded by a group of other separate cemeteries and memorial parks situated along Wellwood Avenue (County Road 3) – these include Pi ...
in
Suffolk County, New York.
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 Award ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Thomas
1857 births
1942 deaths
Military personnel from New York City
United States Navy sailors
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor