Robert Penn

Robert Penn (October 10, 1872 – June 8, 1912 at Las Animas, Colorado) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions during the Spanish–American War.

For other people named Robert Penn, see Robert Penn (disambiguation).
Robert Penn
Fireman First Class Robert Penn
Born(1872-10-10)October 10, 1872
City Point, Virginia, US
DiedJune 8, 1912(1912-06-08) (aged 39)
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Navy
RankFireman First Class
UnitUSS Iowa (BB-4)
Battles/warsSpanish–American War
AwardsMedal of Honor

Biography

On July 20, 1898, Penn was serving as a Fireman First Class on the USS Iowa (BB-4) off the coast of Santiago de Cuba when a boiler accident occurred. For his actions during the incident, Penn was issued the Medal of Honor five months later, on December 14, 1898.

He died in Las Animas, Colorado and is interred at Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania.[1]

Medal of Honor citation

Fireman Penn's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Iowa off Santiago de Cuba, 20 July 1898. Performing his duty at the risk of serious scalding at the time of the blowing out of the manhole gasket on board the vessel, Penn hauled the fire while standing on a board thrown across a coal bucket 1 foot above the boiling water which was still blowing from the boiler.[2]

See also

Notes
  1. Pair of local war heroes receive Medals of Honor
  2. "War with Spain Medal of Honor recipients". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. 2004-09-01. Retrieved 2007-01-22.

References
 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
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