There are two Medals awarded for actions on this day, and none of them are posthumous. Which means, in a very real sense, the recipient of the award during WWII was a doubly lucky man, to survive the action, and to survive the aftermath.
Civil War. Tidying up at Fort Fisher.
World War II. Not your average "Mess Daddy," of course, Bataan in 1942 wasn't your average situation, either.
Civil War. Tidying up at Fort Fisher.
NEAHR, ZACHARIAH C.
Rank and organization: Private, Company K, 142d New York Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Fisher, N.C., 16 January 1865. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Canajoharie, N.Y. Date of issue: 11 September 1890. Citation: Voluntarily advanced with the head of the column and cut down the palisading.
World War II. Not your average "Mess Daddy," of course, Bataan in 1942 wasn't your average situation, either.
CALUGAS, JOSE
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Battery B, 88th Field Artillery, Philippine Scouts. Place and date: At Culis, Bataan Province, Philippine Islands, 16 January 1942. Entered service at: Fort Stotsenburg, Philippine Islands. Born: 29 December 1907, Barrio Tagsing, Leon, Philippine Islands. G.O. No.: 10, 24 February 1942. Citation: The action for which the award was made took place near Culis, Bataan Province, Philippine Islands, on 16 January 1942. A battery gun position was bombed and shelled by the enemy until 1 gun was put out of commission and all the cannoneers were killed or wounded. Sgt. Calugas, a mess sergeant of another battery, voluntarily and without orders ran 1,000 yards across the shell-swept area to the gun position. There he organized a volunteer squad which placed the gun back in commission and fired effectively against the enemy, although the position remained under constant and heavy Japanese artillery fire.
Seriously, *THANK YOU*, for your courage and service to this Nation.