Private Henry F. Frizzell - Civil War Metal of Honor MO655

The President of the United States in the name of the Congress takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to

Henry F. Frizzell

Rank, Private, Company B, 6th Mo. Infantry, Place and Date Vicksburg, Miss., 22 May 1863. Entered Service Fort Davidson, Iron County, Mo. Born Roselle, Madison County, Mo.
Citation: Gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming Party.
"Poor is the nation that has no heroes. Shameful is the nation that has them and forgets"

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Cpl. Charles G. Abrell IN560
KOREAN WAR
Killed In Action
From Vigo County

CPL CHARLES G. ABRELL
USMC
MEDAL OF HONOR
JUNE 10, 1951
KOREA.

Article courtesy of Defense Watch:
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a fire team leader in Company E, in action against enemy aggressor forces.

While advancing with his platoon in an attack against well-concealed and heavily fortified enemy hill positions, Cpl. Abrell voluntarily rushed forward through the assaulting squad which was pinned down by a hail of intense and accurate automatic-weapons fire from a hostile bunker situated on commanding ground. Although previously wounded by enemy hand grenade fragments, he proceeded to carry out a bold, single-handed attack against the bunker, exhorting his comrades to follow him.

Sustaining two additional wounds as he stormed toward the emplacement, he resolutely pulled the pin from a grenade clutched in his hand and hurled himself bodily into the bunker with the live missile still in his grasp. Fatally wounded in the resulting explosion which killed the entire enemy gun crew within the stronghold, Cpl. Abrell, by his valiant spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of certain death, served to inspire all his comrades and contributed directly to the success of his platoon in attaining its objective.

His superb courage and heroic initiative sustain and enhance the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

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Medal of Honor Fight, 1875 TX7680

In the 1870s, the U.S. Army relied on Black Seminole (Seminole-Negro) Indian scouts in campaigns against raiding Native Americans along the Texas-Mexico border. In April 1875, Lt. John L. Bullis and three scouts -- Sergeant John Ward, Private Pompey Factor and Trumpeter Isaac Payne -- left Fort Clark to scout for raiders in this area. After four days, they found a fresh trail and on April 25, within a half-mile of this site, they engaged a party of about 30 Comanche Indians with dozens of horses. Outgunned and outnumbered, the scouts withdrew, but Bullis' horse bolted, stranding him. Factor and Payne provided cover fire, and Ward rescued his Lieutenant. The three Seminole scouts later received Medals of Honor for their gallantry.

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Macario Garcia TX6227

Macario García was born on January 2, 1920, in Villa de Castaño, Mexico, to Luciano and Josefa García. The family moved to Fort Bend County, Texas, in 1923 to pick crops in Sugar Land. In 1942, Macario García was drafted into the U.S. Army to fight in World War II. He was wounded in action at Normandy in June 1944 but recovered and rejoined his unit, Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. In November 1944 at Grosshau, Germany, García destroyed two German machine-gun emplacements; although wounded, he secured his company's position. For his actions, García received the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman in a White House ceremony on August 23, 1945. He also received other commendations, including the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart and the Medal Mérito Militar, the Mexican equivalent of the U.S. Medal of Honor. In Texas in September 1945, García was denied service at a local restaurant because he was Hispanic. He was ultimately arrested. Indicative of the treatment many minority veterans received following military service, García's case became highly visible in the early years of the American Civil Rights movement, and several groups including LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) came to his aid. On June 25, 1947, García became a U.S. citizen. He worked for the Veterans Administration for 25 years and served in the U.S. Army Reserves, attaining the rank of Command Sergeant Major. He died in a car accident in 1972 and is buried in the Houston National Cemetery. A Houston Army Reserve Center and a school is Sugar Land are also named in his honor.

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Marion County Veterans Memorial IL508
VETERANS MEMORIAL
For All Wars
Dedicated to
the Veterans
of
Marion County
on Memorial Day 1997.

Day is done. Gone the sun.
From the lake, from the hill,
From the sky, All is well,
Safely rest, God is nigh.

MARION COUNTY, ILLINOIS
CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS

Marcellus J. Newman............Civil War
Elbridge Robinson..............Civil War
James L. Hull...........Spanish American
Robert H. McCord....................WWII
Robert L. Wilson....................WWII

In memory of Kenneth C. Carpenter
Without whom this Memorial would still be a dream.

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General William Dean IL478

General Dean, a native of Carlyle was a prisoner of War for three years during the Korean War. Honored by the United States, General Dean received the Distinguished Service Medal and the Congressional Medal of Honor.

In 1973, the General William Dean Suspension Bridge was added to the Federal Register of National Historic Places.

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Private Benjamin B. Levy V51
22- Feb. 1845 - 20 Jul. 1921

Benjamin B.Levy, a young Jewish volunteer, received the Medal of Honor on 1 Mar. 1865, one of the first Jews so recognized. He entered service in the 1st New York Infantry in New York City on 22 Apr. 1861. During the Battle of Glendale (Frayser's Farm) on 30 June 1862, under heavy fire near here, Levy "took the gun of a sick comrade, went into the fight. and when the color bearers were shot down, carried the colors and saved them from capture." He later reenlisted in the 40th New York Infantry and was wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness in May. 1864.

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Sgq. Walter K. Singleton (1944-1967) 4E90
Born in Memphis and graduated from Bartlett High School, Singleton was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by Congress for heroism during combat in Vietnam. Serving in the 3rd Marine Division, on March 24, 1967, he charged through heavy enemy fire to rescue several injured Marines. He then forced his way through a hedgerow and drove the enemy from their position. His supreme sacrifice resulted in the saving of many lives and demonstrated his devotion to duty, his fellow man, and his country.

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Wayne County Veterans Memorial IL419
[separate plaques for each conflict, same inscription of each]

World War I
World War II
Korean War
In Honor of those men and women of
Wayne County who served during
the [specific war], the following names, being
those who were killed in action or
died in service during the period
of hostilities, are here inscribed.

VIETNAM WAR
In honor and memory of these men from Wayne County who died
while serving their country during the period of
hostilities.

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

IN MEMORY OF
KENNETH M. KAYS
1949 - 1991
Congressional Medal of Honor
Class of 1967.

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Pvt. Billie Gene Kanell MO252
Dedicated to the memory of
PVT. BILLIE GENE KANELL
35th Infantry Regiment
25th Infantry Division - Company I
Korean War
Awarded the
Congressional Medal Of Honor

* * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
And to all the servicemen
of Butler County Missouri
who made the supreme sacrifice
for Democracy.

President Harry Truman awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously, to Private Billie Gene Kanell of Poplar Bluff, Mo.

“Billie Gene” was born June 26, 1931, in Poplar Bluff, the son of John and Iva Kanell. He was the second son in a family of nine children. His sister described him as the older brother who took care of the younger children, putting bandages on knees, checking bicycle tires and gently resolving youthful disagreements.

When the Korean War began in the summer of 1950, 19-year-old Billie Gene responded quickly to his nation’s call. He was trained as a rifleman, placed in the 25th Infantry and took ship to Korea. There was a brief pause in Hawaii where Private Kanell celebrated his 20th birthday. He was no longer a teenager.

Eleven days later, he was engaged in combat in Korea.
By September of 1951, there was especially hard fighting north of Seoul. On Sept. 7, Kanell and two comrades were in a bunker on Hill 717 which came under a severe attack. Enemy soldiers fought right up to their bunker – and a hand grenade landed at their feet.
Without hesitation, Kanell grabbed the grenade with both hands, pulled it tightly against his chest, and fell to the ground, taking the full forge of the explosion. Although terribly wounded and lying on the ground with fighting raging around him, he saw a second grenade land in the bunker.
With all of his remaining strength, he reached out and pulled the grenade in against his body as it exploded. It was an act of incredible self-sacrifice – which cost him his life but saved the lives of his friends.

For his actions, he received the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military recognition.

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