Matthew Gillick was a United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

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Biography

Born in 1852 in Providence, Rhode Island

Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...

, Gillick joined the Navy from that state. By November 20, 1883, he was serving as a boatswain's mate on the . On that day, while Lancaster was at Marseille

Marseille

Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...

, France, a boy fell into the water from a breakwater

Breakwater (structure)

Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...

 near the ship. Gillick and another sailor, Ordinary Seaman Apprentice John F. Auer

John F. Auer

John F. Auer was a sailor in the United States Navy who was one of 193 people received the Medal of Honor during peacetime, a practice no longer authorized by law, and one of only 3,449 recipients of the award....

, jumped overboard and rescued him. For this action, both Gillick and Auer were awarded the Medal of Honor a year later, on October 18, 1884.

Gillick's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Serving on board the U.S.S. Lancaster at Marseille, France, 20 November 1883. Jumping overboard from the Lancaster, Gillick rescued from drowning a French lad who had fallen into the sea from a stone pier astern of the ship.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients during peacetime

External links