Oscar Burkard

Oscar R. Burkard
Private Oscar Burkard, shortly after being awarded the Medal of Honor in 1899.
Born	December 21, 1877(1877-12-21) Achern, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Died	February 18, 1950(1950-02-18) (aged 72) Rome, New York, United States
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	c. 1898–c. 1918
Rank	Major
Unit	3rd U.S. Infantry
Battles/wars	Indian Wars World War I
Awards	Medal of Honor

Oscar R. Burkard (December 21, 1877 – February 18, 1950) was a German-American soldier who served in the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars and World War I. In 1898, he received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Sugar Point. Aside from being the only non-combatant to be decorated from that engagement, Burkard was also the last man to receive the medal during the Indian Wars.^[1][2][3]

Biography

Born in Achern, Germany, he immigrated to the United States in 1895 and eventually enlisted in the military at Hay Creek, Minnesota. Assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry at Fort Snelling, he served as a private in the Hospital Corps and was present as an acting hospital steward at the Battle of Sugar Point on October 5, 1898. During the battle, he rescued several soldiers while under heavy fire from the Pillagers and continued to do so throughout the day. He was later awarded the Medal of Honor "for distinguished bravery in action against hostile Indians" and officially received the award on August 21, 1899.^[4]

Seeing service during World War I, he retired at the rank of major and later died in Rome, New York on February 18, 1950.

See also

	Biography portal
	World War I portal
	United States Army portal

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars

References

1. ^ King, Steven C. Seeds of War. Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2007. (pg. 83) ISBN 1-4343-0212-1
2. ^ Owens, Ron. Medal of Honor: Historical Facts & Figures. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company, 2004. (pg. 57) ISBN 1-56311-995-1
3. ^ "Chronological List 1832 through 1898, Indian War And U.S. Cavalry". USMilitaryHistory.com. 1989. http://usmilitaryhistory.com/Historical%20Documents/Indian%20Wars.htm. 
4. ^ "Medal of Honor: Oscar Burkard". Office of Medical History. 2002. http://history.amedd.army.mil/moh/burkardo.htm. 

External links

• "Photo of Grave site of MOH Recipient Oscar Burkard". http://www.homeofheros.com/gravesites/states/pages_af/burkhard_oscar_ny.html. Retrieved October 4, 2010. 
• "Oscar Burkard". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7699464. Retrieved 2008-04-17. 

Persondata
Name	Burkard, Oscar
Alternative names
Short description	United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
Date of birth	December 21, 1877
Place of birth	Achern, Germany
Date of death	February 18, 1950
Place of death	Rome, New York