| Jack Arden Davenport | |
|---|---|
Medal of Honor recipient | |
| Born | September 7, 1931 |
| Died | September 21, 1951 (aged 20) |
| Place of birth | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Place of death | KIA in Korea |
| Place of burial | Mount Moriah Cemetery, Hickman Mills, Missouri |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1950-1951 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit | 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines |
| Battles/wars | Korean War |
| Awards |
Medal of Honor Purple Heart |
| Other work | Golden Gloves boxer |
Jack Arden Davenport (September 7, 1931 – September 21, 1951) was a former Golden Gloves boxer and a United States Marine who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions and sacrifice of life during the Korean War.
Biography[]
Jack Davenport was born September 7, 1931 in Kansas City, Missouri, where he graduated from high school in 1949. While in high school, he was a newspaper carrier for the Kansas City Star and played American Legion baseball for three seasons. Upon completing high school, he studied for a year at the University of Kansas, where he was a member of the freshman football team.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps on July 25, 1950, and completed his recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California, that September. He was then stationed with the Training and Replacement Command at Camp Pendleton, California, until December 1950, when he embarked to join the 5th Marines in Korea.
In the early morning of September 21, 1951, Corporal Davenport sacrificed his life to save the life of a fellow Marine in Korea. He was standing watch together with another Marine when an enemy hand grenade landed in their foxhole. Without thought of his own safety, Davenport found the grenade in the dark and smothered its explosion with his own body in order to save the life of his fellow Marine.
His body was returned to the United States in January 1952 to be buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery, Hickman Mills, Missouri. Davenport's father, Fred received the Medal of Honor on January 7, 1953 from U.S. Secretary of the Navy Dan A. Kimball in Washington, D.C.
Awards and decorations[]
|
Medal of Honor |
|
Purple Heart |
See also[]
References[]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.
- "Official Marine Corps biography". http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Historical/Whos_Who/Davenport_JA.htm. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
- "Medal of Honor citation". http://www.usmc.mil/moh.nsf/000003c919889c0385255f980058f5b6/000003c919889c0385255fa2007505db?OpenDocument. Retrieved September 29, 2010.[dead link]
The original article can be found at Jack A. Davenport and the edit history here.