This holiday season marks the 25th anniversary of Wreaths Across America, an annual event where holiday wreaths are placed on veteran grave markers at cemeteries across the U.S.
Texas is no exception when it comes to this growing tradition. And volunteers throughout the Lone Star State will be out in droves in cemeteries this Saturday, December 16, honoring the memory of our brave veterans (Click here if you’d like to help.)
To further honor that memory, this week we’d like to highlight three Medal of Honor recipients whose brave acts happened on the same day, December 16, at different times in U.S. history.
Vernon McGarity. Born in Tennessee in 1921, McGarity became a soldier in the U.S. Army in 1942. Two years later, he was serving near Belgium as a technical sergeant in an infantry regiment. On December 16, 1944, the first day of the Battle of the Bulge, McGarity was wounded by German artillery fire. He refused to be evacuated and stayed with his men, repeatedly rescuing other soldiers, recovering supplies and ammunition and battling Germans. For his bravery, McGarity was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945. His other citations include the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. He died in 2013 and is buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee.
Charles P. Murray Jr. Born in Baltimore in 1921, Murray was drafted into the U.S. Army after his third year of college in 1942. On December 16, 1944, in Kaysersberg, France, Murray singlehandedly took on a force of 200 Germans who were attacking other Americans on a nearby ridge. Shot after shot, he killed and wounded the enemy, causing them to break down and disorganize. Murray’s actions that day “stopped a counterattack, established an advance position against formidable odds, and provided an inspiring example for the men of his command.” He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945. He died in 2011 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Walter Atlee Edwards. Born in Pennsylvania in 1886, Edwards joined the U.S. Naval Academy when he was 20, serving as an officer on several destroyer ships in his early career. By 1922, he had been promoted and was serving as commander of the USS Bainbridge. On December 16 of that same year, Edwards got word that a French ship, the Vinh-Long, was ablaze at sea and needed help. When the USS Bainbridge arrived, explosions were going off, but Edwards managed to bring his ship alongside the French vessel’s bow anyway. Almost 500 men, women and children were saved by his efforts. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in in 1924. He died in 1928 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Veteran Energy is always proud to remember America’s heroes. And we’re glad to know there are lots of others who feel the same way.
