Introduced in 1861, the Medal of Honor is the highest military award of the United States Armed Forces. Out of some 40 million Americans who have served in uniform since the Civil War, only a total of just over 3,500 people have been awarded the Medal for conspicuous acts of gallantry and valor.
Among the recipients are six Yale alumni—two for actions during the Civil War, one from the American Indian Wars, one from World War I, and two from World War II:
- Major General Wager Swayne (Yale College, Class of 1856)
- Second Lieutenant William E. Simonds (Yale Law School, Class of 1865)
- Brigadier General George W. Baird (Yale College, Class of 1863)
- Second Lieutenant Ralph Talbot (Yale College, Class of 1920)
- Major Henry T. Elrod (Yale College, Class of 1927)
- Commander Arthur M. Preston (Yale College, Class of 1935)
Members of the Yale Veterans Association, (YVA), an alumni organization dedicated to supporting veterans and the military community, remain steadfast in their ongoing efforts to raise awareness and understanding about this and other aspects of Yale’s rich military history—including through such initiatives as the Yale Military History & Traditions Tour.
Andrew Song ’22, a U.S. Navy submarine officer and the first Korean American to be commissioned through Naval ROTC at Yale, initially became aware of Yale’s Medal of Honor recipients during a research project he conducted while an undergraduate student.
“I was profiling and compiling data on Yale service members killed in action when I came across the obituary of an alumnus who received the Medal of Honor,” he said. “I was stunned by how I never heard his name before despite his achievements and his Medal—this led me down a rabbit hole where I learned of other alumni who were Medal recipients but not known within the Yale community.”
According to Song, the history of Yalies who served in uniform warrants greater attention and research.
“More needs to be written about Yale’s military heritage and wartime history,” he said. “Discovering the number of Medal of Honor recipients from Yale only cracks the surface of Yale’s fascinating relationship with war.”
“Their gallantry represents just a fraction of the sacrifice demonstrated by Yale service members and veterans,” he said. “Many other Yalies have performed equally in times of conflict, but their actions were not conveyed to the public.”
Will Twomey ’22, a U.S. Navy officer who, as a Yale undergraduate, worked with Song on the same research project about fallen Yale service members, concurs.
“Anyone who walks through Memorial Hall is undoubtedly struck by Yale’s legacy of brave men and women who gave their lives in the service of our country,” he said. “Learning about Yale’s service members and veterans offers another source of inspiration to the community and serves as a reminder that our responsibility to serve our country, in ways not limited to the military, rests on generations of selfless alumni.”
Twomey, who, in addition to his military service, runs a nonprofit that works with veterans and their families to collect, preserve, and display historic military-related artifacts in museums across the country, shared that, before the student research project, he was also unaware of Yale’s connection to the Nation’s highest military honor.
“Even with a longstanding interest in the Award’s history, I knew almost nothing about Yale’s Medal of Honor recipients,” he said, adding that with only just over 60 Medal recipients alive today, there is urgency in documenting their experiences and keeping their legacy alive. “As the number continues to dwindle, it is vital that we memorialize and preserve their stories.”
In that spirit, please see the following bios of Yale’s Medal of Honor recipients:
Wager Swayne – Yale College, Class of 1856 (U.S. Army)
Born on November 10, 1834, in Columbus, Ohio, Swayne was the son of a U.S. Supreme Court associate justice. After graduating from Yale, he became a lawyer in Ohio. During the Civil War, he served in an Ohio infantry regiment and received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Corinth on October 4, 1862. After the war, he remained in military service until retiring in 1870 and returned to practicing law in Ohio and later in New York City. He died on December 18, 1902, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
William E. Simonds – Yale Law School, Class of 1865 (U.S. Army)
Born on November 24, 1842, in the Collinsville section of Canton, Conn., Simonds was a schoolteacher when, in 1862 during the Civil War, he joined the 25th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry and received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Irish Bend on April 14, 1863. After leaving the military in 1863, he attended Yale Law School and upon graduation, went into private law practice before entering elected politics, first in the Connecticut House of Representatives and later in the U.S. House of Representatives. After leaving politics, Simonds returned to practicing law. He died on March 14, 1903, and is buried at Collinsville Cemetery in Collinsville, Connecticut.
George W. Baird – Yale College, Class of 1863 (U.S. Army)
Born on December 13, 1839, in Milford, Conn., Baird was an undergraduate student at Yale when he left in 1862 to fight in the Civil War, initially serving in the 1st Connecticut Light Artillery Battery and later with the 32nd United States Colored Infantry. After the war, he continued to serve in uniform as a career soldier. He was recognized with a Medal of Honor for actions with the Nez Perce during the Indian Wars on September 30, 1877. Retiring from military service in 1903, Baird died on November 26, 1906, and is buried at the Old Milford Cemetery in Milford, Connecticut.
Ralph Talbot – Yale College, Class of 1920 (U.S. Marine Corps)
Born on January 6, 1897, in South Weymouth, Mass., Talbot is the first U.S. Marine Corps aviator to receive the Medal of Honor. Entering Yale during World War I in 1916, he left his studies to join the U.S. Navy in 1917 and became a naval aviator. He later left the Navy to transfer into the Marines and was sent to France. As a Marine aviator, Talbot participated in numerous air raids into enemy territory. It was during one of these raids that he was recognized posthumously with a Medal of Honor for his actions on October 14, 1918. Talbot died in France on October 25, 1918, when his plane crashed during an engine test flight. He is buried at Mount Wollaston Cemetery in Quincy, Mass.
Henry T. Elrod – Yale College, Class of 1927 (U.S. Marine Corps)
Born on September 27, 1905, in Turner County, Ga., Elrod is the first aviator to receive the Medal of Honor during World War II. He was a student at Yale when he left in 1927 to join the U.S. Marine Corps. Days before the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Elrod arrived at Wake Island and was soon partaking in multiple aerial combat engagements after the attack. He distinguished himself as an aviator, and after all U.S. aircraft on Wake Island were destroyed, he continued the fight leading ground units until he was mortally wounded on December 23. Elrod was posthumously recognized with the Medal of Honor for his actions from December 8-23, 1941. He was buried at Wake Island until 1947, when his remains were reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery.
Arthur M. Preston – Yale College Class of 1935 (U.S. Navy)
Born on November 1, 1913, in Washington, D.C., Preston was a practicing attorney after he graduated from Yale and law school. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1940 and was stationed in Hawaii during the attack on Pearl Harbor. After a stateside stint as a patrol torpedo boat instructor, he took command of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 33 and was deployed to the South Pacific in 1943. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during a perilous rescue mission of a downed pilot near Wasile Bay off Halmahera Island on September 16, 1944. Preston continued to serve until his release from active duty in 1945, after which he resumed his law practice. He died on January 7, 1968, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Top Photo Credits: Congressional Medal of Honor Society and New York Public Library Digital Collections
Author expresses gratitude to Andrew Song, Will Twomey, and Michael Lotstein, Yale University archivist, for their contributions of research and archival materials to this article.
