Frank Monroe Upton

Frank Monroe Upton

Frank Monroe Upton was a United States Navy sailor and World War I Medal of Honor recipient, remembered for an act of deliberate courage at sea under conditions where hesitation would have cost another man his life. He was born on April 29, 1896, in Loveland, Colorado, and served in the United States Navy during the First World War. At the time of his Medal of Honor action, he was serving as a Quartermaster aboard USS Stewart. (Wikipedia)

On April 17, 1918, the vessel Florence H suffered an internal explosion. The wreckage area was made even more deadly by boxes of smokeless powder floating in the sea and repeatedly exploding. In the middle of that danger, Upton saw a survivor in the water, too exhausted to save himself and surrounded by the unstable powder boxes. Fully aware that the explosions could continue around him at any moment, Upton went overboard from USS Stewart and swam into the danger to rescue the man. For this act of extraordinary heroism, he was awarded the Medal of Honor under General Orders No. 403 in 1918. (Wikipedia)

His citation reads:

“For extraordinary heroism following internal explosion of the Florence H, on 17 April 1918. The sea in the vicinity of wreckage was covered by a mass of boxes of smokeless powder, which were repeatedly exploding. Frank M. Upton, of the U.S.S. Stewart, plunged overboard to rescue a survivor who was surrounded by powder boxes and too exhausted to help himself. Fully realizing the danger from continual explosion of similar powder boxes in the vicinity, he risked his life to save the life of this man.” (Wikipedia)

Upton later held the rank of Ensign. He died on June 25, 1962, at the age of 66, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. His life is preserved in American military history through a single, striking moment: a sailor choosing to enter a sea filled with explosions because another man was still alive and needed help. (Wikipedia)