Courtesy Photo | Three members of Pennsylvania National Guard units have received the Medal of Honor:...... read more read more
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FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – The Medal of Honor is U.S. military’s highest award for valor. Since it was established in 1861, it has been awarded 3,547 times.
Of those, 380 recipients have been from Pennsylvania – second among states to New York, which has had 677 recipients.
Three members of Pennsylvania National Guard units have received the Medal of Honor: Sgt. James Mestrovitch of the 111th Infantry Regiment, who earned the medal during World War I; Maj. Joseph Thompson of the 110th Infantry Regiment, who earned the medal during World War I; and Tech. Sgt. Francis Clark, of the 109th Infantry Regiment, who earned the medal during World War II.
Mestrovitch, of Pittsburgh, earned the medal for his actions on Aug.10, 1918, during the Battle of Fismette in France. According to his citation, Mestrovitch left a sheltered position behind a stone wall and crawled 30 yards through heavy machine-gun and shell fire to rescue his company commander, who had been wounded.
“He took the officer upon his back and crawled to a place of safety, where he administered first-aid treatment, his exceptional heroism saving the officer's life,” his citation reads.
Thompson, of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, earned the medal for his actions on Oct. 1, 1918, near Apremont, France. According to his citation, after his battalion had been counterattacked by two enemy regiments, Thompson encouraged his battalion in the front line by constantly braving the hazardous fire of machine guns and artillery.
“Later in the action, when the advance of his assaulting companies was held up by fire from a hostile machine-gun nest and all but one of the six assaulting tanks were disabled, Maj. Thompson, with great gallantry and coolness, rushed forward on foot three separate times in advance of the assaulting line, under heavy machine-gun and antitank-gun fire, and led the one remaining tank to within a few yards of the enemy machine-gun nest, which it succeeded in reducing, thereby making it possible for the infantry to advance,” his citation reads.
Clark, originally from Salem, New York, earned the medal for his actions on Sept. 12, 1944, near Kalborn, Luxembourg, and Sept. 17-18, 1944, near Sevenig, Germany. According to his citation, on Sept. 12, after fording the Our River near Kalborn, Clark’s company began taking automatic and small-arms fire, eliminating Clark’s platoon leader and platoon sergeant and pinning down the troops in the open.
“From his comparatively safe position, TSgt. Clark crawled alone across a field through a hail of bullets to the stricken troops,” his citation reads. “He led the platoon to safety and then unhesitatingly returned to the fire-swept area to rescue a wounded soldier, carrying him to the American line while hostile gunners tried to cut him down. Later, he led his squad and men of the 2d Platoon in dangerous sorties against strong enemy positions to weaken them by lightning-like jabs. He assaulted an enemy machine gun with hand grenades, killing two Germans.”
Then, on Sept. 17 near Sevenig, Clark advanced alone against an enemy machine gun, killed the gunner and forced the assistant to flee. The Germans counterattacked, and Clark’s company suffered heavy casualties.
“Seeing that two platoons lacked leadership, TSgt. Clark took over their command and moved among the men to give encouragement,” his citation reads. “Although wounded on the morning of 18 September, he refused to be evacuated and took up a position in a pillbox when night came. Emerging at daybreak, he killed a German soldier setting up a machine gun not more than five yards away. When he located another enemy gun, he moved up unobserved and killed two Germans with rifle fire. Later that day he voluntarily braved small-arms fire to take food and water to members of an isolated platoon.”
Technically, Clark was not a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard; He was a draftee and joined the 109th Infantry after the 28th Infantry Division was federalized.
Additionally, several Civil War Medal of Honor recipients served in units that later became part of the Pennsylvania National Guard:
• Lt. Hillary Byer, 90th Pennsylvania (Today’s 108th Field Artillery)
• Cpl. Harry Bick Ford, 90th Pennsylvania (Today’s 108th Field Artillery)
• Sgt. Charles Breyer, 90th Pennsylvania (Today’s 108th Field Artillery)
• Pvt. Casper Carlisle, Battery F, Pennsylvania Light Artillery (Today’s 107th Field Artillery)
• Capt. Walter Cooke, 4th Pennsylvania Infantry (Today’s HHC, 111th Infantry)
• 1st Sgt. Patrick DeLacey, 143rd Pennsylvania (Today’s 109th Field Artillery)
• Capt. Frank Furness, 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry (Today’s Co. A, 1/104th Cavalry)
• Col. John Hartranft, 4th Pennsylvania Infantry (Today’s HHC, 111th Infantry)
• Pvt. William Paul, 90th Pennsylvania (Today’s 108th Field Artillery)
• Sgt. James Rutter, 143rd Pennsylvania Today’s 109th Field Artillery)
• Pvt. Martin Scheibner, 90th Pennsylvania (Today’s 108th Field Artillery)
• Maj. Alfred Sellers, 90th Pennsylvania (Today’s 108th Field Artillery)
• Cpl. John Shiel, 90th Pennsylvania (Today’s 108th Field Artillery)
• Pvt. J Henry White, 90th Pennsylvania (Today’s 108th Field Artillery)
Also, Col. Alfred Pearson earned the Medal of Honor with the 155th Pennsylvania Infantry and later went on to command the 6th Division of the National Guard of Pennsylvania in the 1870s.
Hartranft, meanwhile, went on to serve as Pennsylvania’s governor from 1873 to 1879, then served as the first commander of the Pennsylvania Division, known today as the 28th Infantry Division.
Also of note, Sgt. Charles Marquette of Co. F, 93rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry received the medal for actions at the Battle of Petersburg, Virginia, on April 2, 1865. Marquette was from Lebanon County, and Marquette Lake at Fort Indiantown Gap is named after him.
The 93rd Pennsylvania mustered out of service in June 1865 and never became part of the Pennsylvania National Guard.
| Date Taken: | 03.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.21.2025 09:32 |
| Story ID: | 493432 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | BEAVER FALLS, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | SALEM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 73 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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