George Charrette

Template:Short description Template:Template other George Charrette (June 6, 1867 – February 7, 1938) was an enlisted man and later officer in the United States Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Spanish–American War.

Biography

File:Medal of Honor recipient gravestone in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia in the 2020s - 85.jpg

Grave at Arlington National Cemetery

Charrette was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, on June 6, 1867. He enlisted in the United States Navy September 24, 1884. As a Gunner's Mate third class, on June 2, 1898, he volunteered with seven others to sink under heavy Spanish fire across the entrance to the harbor of Santiago, Cuba, thus bottling up the enemy fleet. Taken prisoner by the Spanish, Charrette was exchanged July 6, 1898. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism, although his name was misspelled as "George Charette" on the citation.

Charrette was warranted as a gunner on June 15, 1898, and was promoted to chief gunner on June 15, 1904. During World War I, he was commissioned lieutenant on July 1, 1918, and retired from the Navy in 1925.

He died February 7, 1938, in Lowell, Massachusetts, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia.

Awards

• Sampson Medal
• Spanish Campaign Medal
• Victory Medal

Namesake

In 1943, the destroyer was named in his honor.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Spanish–American War

References

Public Domain This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.