Butler’s commendation for the Medal of Honor, 22 April 1914
Chaos reigned on the approach to the town of Tientsin. At the height of the Boxer Rebellion, a multinational military contingent was intent on protecting the international legation in the Chinese capital city of Peking from marauding revolutionaries.
Lieutenant Smedley Butler of the US Marines crouched as Boxer bullets whined around him. When Butler saw a fellow officer grievously wounded, however, he had to act. Sprinting from the safety of a trench, Butler reached the stricken officer only to be shot in the leg himself. Another brave Marine rushed to them, and he, too, was wounded. Miraculously, the three Marines dragged themselves to safety.
When the successful Gaselee Expedition had concluded, Butler’s mentor and commanding officer, Major Littleton Waller, recommended him for the Medal of Honor for gallantry on 13 July 1900. While four enlisted men did receive their nation’s highest honour for Tientsin, Butler was not eligible since he was a commissioned officer. Instead, he
