Medal of Honor recipients interred at Chattanooga National Cemetery
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the armed services of the United States. Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the president on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and eligibility criteria for the Medal of Honor have changed over time. Chattanooga is home to the new Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center. Tennessee boasts 32 of the medal’s 3,525 honorees, so far. Congressional Medal of Honor recipients buried in Chattanooga include:
› Master Sgt. Ray E. Duke, Korea
He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for service in the U.S. Army, Company C, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, in recognition of conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage near Mugok, Korea, April 26, 1951. He was last seen firing into the ranks of onrushing assailants. Duke is buried in Section Z, Site 373.
› Cpl. Desmond T. Doss, World War II
Desmond Doss was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1919. He was working in the Newport News shipyard when he was drafted into World War
II. Based on his religious beliefs, Doss refused to carry a weapon or kill an enemy soldier so he served in the U.S. Army as a medic in the Pacific Theater: Guam, the Philippines and Japan. He received two Bronze Stars and the Medal of Honor for saving the lives of 75 comrades during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, despite being severely wounded. Doss was the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor, which was presented by President Harry Truman. Doss contracted tuberculosis in 1946, died from respiratory complications in 2006 and is buried in Section P, Site 6399-A.
› Pvt. Samuel Robertson, Civil War
Robertson was one of the first recipients of the
Medal of Honor for actions during “The Great Locomotive Chase” at Big Shanty, Georgia, in April 1862. He served in the U.S. Army, Company G, 33rd Ohio Infantry, and died June 18, 1862. His award was posthumous. Pvt. Robertson is buried in Section H, Site 11177.
› Sgt. Maj. Marion A. Ross, Civil War
Ross was one of the first recipients of the Medal of Honor for actions during “The Great Locomotive Chase” at Big Shanty, Georgia, in April 1862. He served in the U.S. Army, 2nd Ohio Infantry, and died June 18, 1862. His award was posthumous. Sgt. Maj. Ross is buried in Section H, Site 11179.
› Sgt. John M. Scott, Civil War
Scott was one of the first recipients of the Medal of Honor for actions during “The Great Locomotive Chase” at Big Shanty, Georgia, in April 1862. He served in the U.S. Army, Company F, 21st Ohio Infantry, and died June 18, 1862. His award was posthumous. Sgt. Scott is buried in Section H, Site 11182.
› Sgt. Samuel Slavens, Civil War
Slavens was one of the first recipients of the Medal of Honor for actions during “The Great Locomotive Chase” at Big Shanty, Georgia, in April 1862. He served in the U.S. Army, Company E, 33rd Ohio Infantry, and died June 18, 1862. He was the last participant in the 1862 raid so recognized, posthumously, in 1883. Slavens is buried in Section H, Site 11176.
› Pvt. William F. Zion, Boxer Rebellion
Zion received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps for actions during the Boxer Rebellion, Peking, China, from July 21 - Aug. 17, 1900. He also served in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of first lieutenant. Zion died in 1919 and is buried in Section U, Site 40 South Side.