Henry Breault Centennial: 100 Years Ago, the First Submariner Received the Medal of Honor

TM2 Henry Breault receives the Medal of Honor from President Calvin Coolidge, in ceremonies at the White House, Washington, DC, on 8 March 1924. Image courtesy of the Naval History and Heritage Command.

On 8 March 1924, President Calvin Coolidge presented Torpedoman’s Mate 2nd Class Henry Breault the military’s highest military decoration. Actions in the Panama Canal the year before led Breault to become the silent service’s first Medal of Honor recipient.

Actions in the Panama Canal the year before led Breault to become the silent service’s first Medal of Honor recipient. On the Atlantic side of the canal, Breault was serving aboard the USS O-5 on 28 October, 1923, when a commercial vessel struck the sub, sinking it in less than a minute. Despite being in the torpedo room at the time of the collision, he managed to make it to the hatch and escape.

Learn more about Henry Breault.