John Thomas Kennedy

He entered a hostile cave and was severely wounded in action

On July 4, 1909, Second Lieutenant John Thomas Kennedy volunteered repeatedly for a dangerous assignment during fighting on Patian Island in the Philippines. Serving with the 6th Cavalry, he entered the mouth of a cave occupied by Moro fighters with a small group of enlisted men. He was severely wounded in the action. The Medal of Honor recognized his courage; President William Howard Taft presented it to him in 1912.

Kennedy, born in Hendersonville, South Carolina, in 1885, attended The Citadel before receiving an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy. A member of West Point’s class of 1908, he began his career in the cavalry and served in the Philippines. He later joined the Field Artillery and led the 5th Field Artillery Regiment of the 1st Division in France during the First World War. At St. Mihiel and in the Meuse-Argonne offensive, his regiment supported attacking infantry through the difficult work of moving guns, ammunition, men, and animals under combat conditions. He received the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his leadership and was also decorated for gallantry.

After the war, Kennedy continued his Army career, including several years as professor of military science at Auburn University. During the Second World War, he became a brigadier general and commanded Fort Bragg, then a major artillery training center where soldiers and units prepared for service overseas. He retired in 1946 after nearly four decades in uniform.

Kennedy died in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1969, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION

While in action against hostile Moros, he entered with a few enlisted men the mouth of a cave occupied by a desperate enemy, this act having been ordered after he had volunteered several times. In this action 2d Lt. Kennedy was severely wounded.