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Seaman · U.S. Navy

Rade Grbitch

Seaman Rade Grbitch, Navy, received the Medal of Honor for actions on July 21, 1905 at San Diego harbor on board U.S.S. Bennington, California (Interim 1899–1910).

Interim 1899 - 1910 July 21, 1905Born in Austria

Seaman Rade Grbitch, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on July 21, 1905 at San Diego harbor on board U.S.S. Bennington, California — a peacetime act of courage recognized in the Interim 1899 - 1910 period. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Bennington. Grbitch was 34 years old.

10 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on April 15, 1906.

Grbitch was born on December 24, 1870 in Austria — one of 6 recipients born in Austria. His Medal of Honor is credited to Illinois. Grbitch died on March 5, 1910, at the age of 39. He is buried at San Francisco National Cemetery in San Francisco, California.

★ Fire & Explosions at Sea

Official Medal of Honor citation

On board the U.S.S. Bennington, for extraordinary heroism displayed at the time of the explosion of a boiler of that vessel at San Diego, Cal., 21 July 1905.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

Places

  • Born: Austria — map
  • Buried: San Francisco National Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Illinois →

Timeline

  1. December 24, 1870
    Born in Austria
  2. July 21, 1905
    Act of valor — San Diego harbor on board U.S.S. Bennington, California
    Age 34. U.S.S. Bennington
  3. April 15, 1906
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. March 5, 1910
    Died
    Age 39.
  5. Resting place
    San Francisco National Cemetery
    San Francisco, California

Biography

Rade Grbitch or Rade Grbić (Serbian Cyrillic: Раде Грбић; December 24, 1870 – March 5, 1910) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.

From the Wikipedia article “Rade Grbitch”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Further reading

Also honored for actions on July 21, 1905

Edward William Boers Seaman · Navy Interim 1899–1910 · 1905 GB George F. Brock Carpenter's Mate Second Class · Navy Interim 1899–1910 · 1905 JC John Joseph Clausey Chief Gunner's Mate · Navy Interim 1899–1910 · 1905 WC William S. (Willie) Cronan Boatswain's Mate · Navy Interim 1899–1910 · 1905 RD Raymond Erwin Davis Quartermaster Third Class · Navy Interim 1899–1910 · 1905 EF Emil Fredericksen Watertender · Navy Interim 1899–1910 · 1905 FH Frank Ebenezer Hill Ship's Cook First Class · Navy Interim 1899–1910 · 1905 Oscar Frederick Nelson Machinist's Mate First Class · Navy Interim 1899–1910 · 1905 Otto Diller Schmidt Seaman · Navy Interim 1899–1910 · 1905 WS William Sidney Shacklette Hospital Steward · Navy Interim 1899–1910 · 1905

More Interim 1899–1910 recipients from Illinois

JH John Henry Helms Sergeant · Marine Corps Interim 1899–1910 · 1901 HM Hugh Patrick Mullin Seaman · Navy Interim 1899–1910 · 1899 CR Charles Church Roberts Machinist's Mate First Class · Navy Interim 1899–1910 · 1910
Sources. Service and award details compiled from the recipient record of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Wikidata and Wikipedia. The narrative summary is generated from these records. Spotted an error? Send a correction.