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John Dempsey (Medal of Honor)

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John Dempsey
Bornc. 1848
Ireland
DiedSeptember 14, 1884
San Francisco, California, US
Place of burial
Greenlawn Memorial Park, Colma, California, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Navy
RankSeaman
UnitUSS Kearsarge
AwardsMedal of Honor

John Dempsey (c. 1848–1884), was an Irish-born American military officer, who served as a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.

Biography

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Born in 1848 in Ireland, Dempsey immigrated to the United States and joined the U.S. Navy from Massachusetts. By January 23, 1875, he was serving as a seaman on the USS Kearsarge. On that day, while Kearsarge was at Shanghai, China, he jumped overboard and rescued a shipmate from drowning. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.[1]

Dempsey's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Kearsarge at Shanghai, China, 23 January 1875. Displaying gallant conduct, Dempsey jumped overboard from the Kearsarge and rescued from drowning one of the crew of that vessel.[1]

He died on September 14, 1884, in San Francisco. He was buried at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Colma, California.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Medal of Honor recipients - Interim Awards, 1871–1898". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. August 5, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  2. ^ "John Dempsey; Interim 1871 - 1899". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
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