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William Sidney Shacklette
Hospitalman, United States Navy
Virginia State Flag
Born on May 17, 1880 at Delaplane, Virginia. Earned the Medal of Honorwhile serving aboard the USS Bennington at San Diego, California, on July 21, 1905. The Medal was presented on January 5, 1906.

He died on February 12, 1945 and was buried in Section 10 of Arlington National Cemetery.


WS Shacklette PHOTO
Photo Courtesy of the Home of Heroes

SHACKLETTE, WILLIAM SIDNEY

Rank and organization: Hospital Steward, U.S. Navy. Born: 17 May 1880, Delaplane, Virginia. Accredited to: Virginia. G.O. No.: 13, 5 January 1906.

Citation:

For extraordinary heroism while serving on the U.S.S. Bennington at the time of the explosion of a boiler of that vessel at San Diego, Calif., 21 July 1905.


William S. SHACKLETTE Gravesite PHOTO
\Photo courtesy of Raymond L. Collins
 

Page Updated: 1 October 2000
Page Updated: 3 May 2001

 US Navy Medal of Honor
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The early history of the hospital corps, Established 17 June 1898, set a pace of conspicuous service that continues to the present. During the 1900 Boxer Rebellion in Peking, China, Hospital Apprentice Robert Stanley volunteered for the dangerous mission of running message dispatches under fire. For his bravery, Stanley became the first in a long line of hospital corpsmen to receive the Medal of Honor. Five years later, when USS Bennington's boiler exploded in San Diego harbor on July 21, 1905, Hospital Steward William Shacklette was badly burned along with almost half the crew. Although seriously hurt, he rescued and treated many of his shipmates. He too was given the Medal of Honor.




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