Weedon Osborne

{{Short description|United States Navy dentist, Medal of Honor recipient (1892–1918)}}

{{Infobox military person

|name=Weedon Edward Osborne

|birth_date= {{Birth date|1892|11|13}}

|death_date= {{Death date and age|1918|6|6|1892|11|13}}

|birth_place=Chicago, Illinois

|death_place= near Bouresches, France

|placeofburial= Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, Belleau, Aisne, France

|placeofburial_label= Place of burial

|image=Weedon Osborne.jpg

|image_size=200

|caption=Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Weedon Osborne

|nickname=

|allegiance= United States of America

|branch= United States Navy

|serviceyears= 1917–1918

|rank= Lieutenant, Junior Grade

|commands=

|unit=Navy Dental Corps
6th Marine Regiment

|battles=

World War I
Battle of Belleau Wood{{KIA}}

|awards=

{{plainlist|

}}

|laterwork=

}}

Weedon Edward Osborne (November 13, 1892 – June 6, 1918) was a United States Navy officer and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War I. He is one of only three dental officers to have received the medal, the others being Alexander Gordon Lyle and Ben L. Salomon.{{Cite journal |year=1964 |volume= 68 |page=168 |journal=Journal of the American Dental Association |issn=0002-8177 |oclc=1777821 |quote=During the 100 years that officers have been eligible, two dental officers have been awarded the Medal: Alexander Gordan Lyle and ...}}{{cite web |url=http://history.amedd.army.mil/moh/Salomon.html |title=Ben Salomon |work=Medal of Honor recipients: United States Army Medical Department |author=Col. William T. Bowers, (U.S. Army, Retired) |publisher=Office of Medical History, Office of the Surgeon General |access-date=2008-07-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611094531/http://history.amedd.army.mil/moh/Salomon.html |archive-date=2011-06-11 }}

Biography

A Chicago native, Weedon Osborne graduated from Northwestern University Dental School in 1915. He was appointed a U.S. Navy Dental Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade, on May 8, 1917. He was assigned duty with the 6th Marine Regiment on March 26, 1918. During the Battle of Belleau Wood, Osborne's unit participated in the advance on Bouresches, France, about a mile southeast of Belleau Wood. Osborne sought to aid the wounded during the battle and was killed while attempting to carry an injured officer to safety on June 6, 1918. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on that day.

Weedon Osborne was 25 years old at the time of his death. He was buried in Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, Belleau, Aisne, France.

{{multiple image

| align = right

| image1 = Weedon Osborne's Medal of Honor obverse.jpg

| width1 = 122

| alt1 = Front of a bronze cross-shaped medal hanging from a blue ribbon

| caption1 =

| image2 = Weedon Osborne's Medal of Honor reverse.jpg

| width2 = 100

| alt2 = Back of a bronze cross-shaped medal hanging from a blue ribbon

| caption2 =

| footer = Osborne's Medal of Honor, front and back

}}

Osborne's Medal of Honor, a rare "Tiffany Cross" version, is held by the U.S. Navy Museum in Washington, D.C. The museum acquired the medal in 2003 from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which had confiscated it the year before after someone had attempted to sell the medal in South Carolina. It is illegal to sell a Medal of Honor within the United States.{{Cite web |last=Birnie |first=Michael |title="Tiffany" Medal of Honor Comes to Navy Museum |publisher=United States Navy |date=2003-04-27 |url=http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=7048 |access-date=2007-11-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090906172852/http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=7048 |archive-date=2009-09-06 }}

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Lieutenant, Junior Grade, (Dental Corps), U.S. Navy. Born: 13 November 1892, Chicago, Ill. Appointed from: Illinois.

;Citation

{{blockquote|For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while attached to the Sixth Regiment, United States Marines, in actual conflict with the enemy and under fire during the advance on Bouresche, France on 6 June 1918. In the hottest of the fighting when the Marines made their famous advance on Bouresche at the southern edge of Belleau Wood, Lieutenant (j.g.) Osborne threw himself zealously into the work of rescuing the wounded. Extremely courageous in the performance of this perilous task, he was killed while carrying a wounded officer to a place of safety. By his exceptional fortitude, inspiring initiative, and selfless devotion to duty, Lieutenant (j.g.) Osborne reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.}}

Namesake

File:WOsborneGrave.jpg

The destroyer {{USS|Osborne|DD-295}}, which served during the 1920s, was named for Lieutenant Osborne.

The USS Osborne Dental Clinic, one of four Branch Dental Clinics within the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, Illinois, is named in honor of Lieutenant, Junior Grade Osborne.{{cite web|title=USS Osborne Dental Clinic|url=https://www.lovell.fhcc.va.gov/locations/USSOsborne.asp|website=Federal Health Care Center|publisher=U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs|access-date=5 January 2018}}