GM1c Osmond Ingram, Medal of Honor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmond_Ingram

Born to Robert L. Ingram and his wife Naomi Elizabeth Lea in Oneonta, Alabama, Ingram entered the Navy November 24, 1903. His ship, USS Cassin, was attacked by the German submarine U-61 off Ireland on October 15, 1917. Gunner’s Mate First Class Ingram spotted the approaching torpedo, realized it would strike close by the ship's depth charges, thus dooming the ship, and rushed to jettison the ammunition.

He was blown overboard when the torpedo struck, thus becoming the United States' Navy's first enlisted man killed in action in World War I[1] as he attempted to save his ship and shipmates. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions on that day.

"For extraordinary heroism in the presence of the enemy on the occasion of the torpedoing of the Cassin, on 15 October 1917. While the Cassin was searching for the submarine, Ingram sighted the torpedo coming, and realizing that it might strike the ship aft in the vicinity of the depth charges, ran aft with the intention of releasing the depth charges before the torpedo could reach the Cassin. The torpedo struck the ship before he could accomplish his purpose and Ingram was killed by the explosion. The depth charges exploded immediately afterward. His life was sacrificed in an attempt to save the ship and his shipmates, as the damage to the ship would have been much less if he had been able to release the depth charges."

The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the

Medal of Honor

to

INGRAM, OSMOND K.

Rank and Organization: Gunner's Mate First Class, U.S. Navy. Born: 4 August 1887, Alabama. Accredited to: Alabama.

Citation:

For extraordinary heroism in the presence of the enemy on the occasion of the torpedoing of the Cassin, on 15 October 1917. While the Cassin was searching for the submarine, Ingram sighted the torpedo coming, and realizing that it might strike the ship aft in the vicinity of the depth charges, ran aft with the intention of releasing the depth charges before the torpedo could reach the Cassin. The torpedo struck the ship before he could accomplish his purpose and Ingram was killed by the explosion. The depth charges exploded immediately afterward. His life was sacrificed in an attempt to save the ship and his shipmates, as the damage to the ship would have been much less if he had been able to release the depth charges.

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Alabama native Osmond Kelly Ingram (1887-1917) was the first U.S. Navy enlisted man killed during World War I. Ingram died while attempting to release the depth charges aboard the USS Cassin (DD-43) before it was hit by a German torpedo on October 15, 1917. For his heroic actions, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously. Ingram and Sidney E. Manning were the only native Alabamians to receive the Medal of Honor during World War I. He was also the first enlisted man to have a U.S. Navy destroyer named in his honor; Birmingham's Kelly Ingram Park was named for him as well.
Ingram was born on August 4, 1887, in Oneonta, Blount County, to Naomi (Bettie) and Robert Ingram, a Methodist Episcopal preacher and Confederate Army veteran. He was one of four boys. Before his father's death in 1897, the family moved to Pratt City, Jefferson County. On November 24, 1903, at the age of 16, and with his mother's consent, Ingram enlisted in the U.S. Navy.

When his enlistment ended in August 1908, Ingram moved back to Pratt City and became a firefighter. In August 1913, Ingram reenlisted and was stationed aboard the Cassin, the ship he remained on following U.S. entry into the war on April 6, 1917.

During the war, the U.S. Navy's two most important roles were to halt the operations of German submarines, known as U-boats, and to protect American convoys of transport ships sailing to France and England. The Cassin was patrolling off the coast of Ireland on October 15, 1917, when it came in contact with German submarine U-61. Spotting a torpedo from the U-boat heading toward the Cassin's stern, or rear, where its depth charges were located, and realizing the potential damage and causalities it would inflict, Ingram tried to release the depth charges.

He was not able to release the entire load before impact, and his was the only death in the ensuing explosion that blew off the rudder and severely damaged the vessel. His courageous deed and sacrifice prevented the ship from additional damage and saved many of his shipmates' lives. The Cassin was repaired, returned to service in World War I, and sold for scrap in 1934. In January 1918, Ingram's mother was the first recipient of funds for dependents of soldiers and sailors under the Military and Naval Insurance Act. Less than a year later, on January 11, 1919, Navy secretary Josephus Daniels informed Ingram's mother that a new destroyer was to be named after her late son, the USS Osmond Ingram (DD-255). Ingram became the first enlisted man in the U.S. Navy to have a destroyer named in his honor. (Like the Cassin, the Ingram performed anti-submarine patrols and convoy duties during World War II. It was credited with sinking a German submarine by gunfire.) Chapel at Brookwood American Cemetery

In 1920, Daniels wrote Ingram's mother notifying her that Ingram was to be awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, posthumously. The citation noted Ingram's extraordinary heroism and sacrifice in an attempt to save the ship and his shipmates.

West End Park in Birmingham was renamed Kelly Ingram Park in 1932 and a memorial to him was placed on the park grounds. The park served as an important site for protests in 1963 during the civil rights movement. Ingram is listed on the Wall of the Missing at the American Battle Monuments Commission Brookwood American Cemetery in Surrey, England.