Weedon Osborne

Infobox Military Person
name=Weedon Edward Osborne
born= birth date|1892|11|13
died= Death date and age|1918|6|6|1892|11|13
placeofbirth=Chicago, Illinois
placeofdeath=Killed in action in Château-Thierry, France
placeofburial=


caption=Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Weedon Osborne
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Navy
serviceyears=1917 - 1918
rank= Lieutenant, Junior Grade
commands=
unit=6th Marine Regiment
battles=World War I *Battle of Belleau Wood
awards=Medal of Honor Distinguished Service Cross
laterwork=

Weedon Edward Osborne (13 November 1892 – 6 June 1918) was a United States Navy officer and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War I.

Biography

A Chicago native, Weedon Osborne graduated from Northwestern University Dental School in 1915. He was appointed a U.S. Navy Dental Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade, on 8 May 1917. He was assigned duty with the 6th Marine Regiment on 26 March 1918. During the Battle of Belleau Wood, Osborne's unit participated in the advance on Boursches, France, in the Château-Thierry area. Osborne sought to aid the wounded during the battle and was killed while attempting to carry an injured officer to safety on 6 June 1918. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on that day.

Weedon Osborne was 25 years old at the time of his death. He was buried in Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, Belleau, Aisne, France.

Osborne's Medal of Honor, a rare "Tiffany Cross" version, is held by the U.S. Navy Museum in Washington, D.C. The museum acquired the medal in 2003 from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which had confiscated it the year before after someone had attempted to sell the medal in South Carolina. It is illegal to sell a Medal of Honor within the United States. [cite web |last=Birnie |first=Michael |title="Tiffany" Medal of Honor Comes to Navy Museum |publisher=United States Navy |date=2003-04-27 |url=http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=7048 |accessdate=2007-11-16]

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Lieutenant, Junior Grade, (Dental Corps), U.S. Navy. Born: 13 November 1892, Chicago, Ill. Appointed from: Illinois.

Citation:

:For extraordinary heroism while attached to the 6th Regiment, U.S. Marines, in actual conflict with the enemy and under fire during the advance on Bouresche, France, on 6 June 1918. In the hottest of the fighting when the marines made their famous advance on Bouresche at the southern edge of Belleau Wood, Lt (j.g.). Osborne threw himself zealously into the work of rescuing the wounded. Extremely courageous in the performance of this perilous task, he was killed while carrying a wounded officer to a place of safety.

Namesake

The destroyer USS "Osborne" (DD-295), which served during the 1920s, was named for Lieutenant Osborne.

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War I

Notes

References

:NHC
*DANFS
*cite web
publisher = Naval Historical Center
title = Osborne
work = Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/o4/osborne.htm
accessdate = 2006-11-21
*cite web
publisher = Naval Historical Center
title = US People - Osborne, Weedon E., Lieutenant (Junior Grade), USN (Dental Corps)
work = Online Library
date = 2005-02-27
url = http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-o/w-osborn.htm
accessdate = 2006-11-21
*findagrave|7434824 Retrieved on 2006-11-21
*cite web
publisher = National Naval Medical Center Pride of Place Committee
title = Weedon Edward Osborne - Medal of Honor Recipient
url = http://www.bethesda.med.navy.mil/Visitor/Pride_of_Place/POP_Committee/MOH/Osborne.htm
accessdate = 2006-11-21