Ordinary Seaman Fred Jurgen Schnepel was a sailor in the U.S. Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on April 21, 1914 in Vera Cruz, Mexico during the 1914 Veracruz expedition. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Florida. Schnepel was 22 years old.
40 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on January 6, 1915 — presented by Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels on the deck of the USS Florida at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York. He later rose to the rank of Chief Quartermaster.
Schnepel was born on February 24, 1892 in New York, New York. Schnepel died on February 7, 1948, at the age of 55. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Schnepel is one of 56 Medal of Honor recipients from the 1914 Veracruz expedition and one of 678 credited to New York.
Official Medal of Honor citation
On board the U.S.S. Florida, Schnepel showed extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession during the seizure of Vera Cruz, Mexico, 21-22 April 1914.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: World War I.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →
From the archives
Additional information on his action comes from U.S. Navy General Order No. 101, dated June 15, 1914. He was in the signal squad with three other men, Charles F. Bishop, James A. Walsh, and Charles L. Nordsiek, under Ensign McDonnell. "They were stationed on the roof of the Terminal Hotel from 11:30 am, April 21, till sunset, and returned there at daylight on the 22d. On this roof and near them a marine was killed, an electrician third class was seriously wounded, and one member of the party (Nordsiek) was wounded. Nothwithstanding the constant fire to which they were subjected and their unusually exposed position, they were not diverted from their extremely important duty of keeping unbroken and efficient communication by signals with the U.S.S. Prairie."
Timeline
- February 24, 1892Born in New York, New York
- April 21, 1914Act of valor — Vera Cruz, MexicoAge 22. U.S.S. Florida
- January 6, 1915Medal of Honor presentedPresented by Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels on the deck of the USS Florida at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York.
- February 7, 1948DiedAge 55.
- Resting placeArlington National CemeteryArlington, Virginia
Biography
Fred Jurgen Schnepel (February 24, 1892 – February 7, 1948) was a Seaman in the United States Navy and a Medal of Honor recipient for his role in the United States occupation of Veracruz. In 1914, Schnepel was assigned to the battleship USS Florida. He went ashore at Veracruz as a member of a five-man signal squad led by Ensign Edward O. McDonnell. The other squad members were Charles F. Bishop, Charles L. Nordsiek and James A. Walsh. Despite being under constant enemy fire the afternoon of April 21 and morning of April 22, the squad continued to relay signals to and from USS Prairie offshore from an exposed rooftop position.
From the Wikipedia article “Fred Jurgen Schnepel”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
