Thomas Sletteland was born in
Bergen, Norway
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, secon ...
, on the 18th of February, 1872, and enlisted 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 ...
. Not much is known about his emigration to the US or when he enlisted but we do know that his actions in Luzon 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 ...
, with Company C of the 1st North Dakota Infantry, earned him the Medal of Honor.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Private, Company C, 1st North Dakota Infantry
Place and date: Near Paete, Luzon, Philippine Islands, April 12, 1899
Entered service at: Grafton, N. Dak. Birth: Norway
Date of issue: March 11, 1902
Citation:
Single-handed and alone defended his dead and wounded comrades against a greatly superior force of the enemy.
Post War
Thomas received his Medal of Honor on the 11th of March, 1902, and he died thirteen years later on the 1st of September, 1915 at the age of 43. He is buried in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan, North Dakota: Section C, Site 438.
See also
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List of Medal of Honor recipients
The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recipient must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their ...
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List of Philippine–American War Medal of Honor recipients
The Philippine–American War was an armed military conflict between the United States and the First Philippine Republic, fought from 1899 to at least 1902, which arose from a Filipino people, Filipino political struggle against U.S. occupation ...
References
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1874 births
1915 deaths
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
United States Army soldiers
People from Mandan, North Dakota
American military personnel of the Philippine–American War
Norwegian-born Medal of Honor recipients
Norwegian emigrants to the United States
Philippine–American War recipients of the Medal of Honor
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