Roswell Winans
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| Roswell Winans | |
|---|---|
| December 9, 1887 - April 7, 1968 | |
  Roswell Winans, Medal of Honor recipient |
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| Place of birth | Brookeville, Indiana |
| Place of death | San Diego, California |
| Allegiance | USMC |
| Years of service | 1908-1912 (US Army) 1912-1946 (USMC) |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Medal of Honor Silver Star (2) Purple Heart Croix de Guerre |
Brigadier General Roswell Winans (December 9, 1887 - April 7, 1968) was a United States Marine, who as a First Sergeant, earned the Medal of Honor during combat in the Dominican Republic.
Roswell Winans was born on 9 December 1887 in Brookeville, Indiana. He died on 7 April 1968, at the San Diego Naval Hospital, San Diego, California. He was 80.
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[edit] Military service
Brigadier General Winans, much-decorated veteran of almost forty years of military service, retired from active duty on 1 August 1946. His combat service goes back to the "Banana Wars" in Central America and in France during World War I.
He earned the United States' highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for action during an engagement at Guayacanas in the Dominican Republic on 3 July 1916. Serving there as a first sergeant, he was cited for extraordinary heroism in action against a considerable force of rebels on the line of march of his unit.
After serving four years in the U.S. Army, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 10 October 1912. He rose to the rank of first sergeant, seeing duty during the Mexican, Haitian and Dominican campaigns, before he was commissioned a second lieutenant during World War I. A captain at the end of that war, he served during the years prior to World War II at various Marine posts and stations in this country, as well as taking part in the Second Nicaraguan Campaign. He was a colonel at the outbreak of World War II, and was promoted to brigadier general upon retirement on 1 August 1946.
[edit] Decorations
In addition to the Medal of Honor, BGen Winans' personal decorations include the Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a second award, the Purple Heart, and the French Croix de Guerre with palm.
[edit] Medal of Honor citation
The Medal of Honor was awarded to then-First Sergeant Roswell Winans, USMC, on October 30, 1916 for his actions in Guayacanas on 3 July 1916. [1]
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States Marine Corps.
- ^ Roswell Winans, Home of Heroes.
- Brigadier General Roswell Winans, USMC, Who's Who in Marine Corps History, History Division, United States Marine Corps.
- Medal of Honor citation
