Navy corpsmen administer plasma to a Marine wounded in the battle for Bunker Hill in Korea in 1952.
Medal of Honor Monday: Navy Hospital Corpsman John E. Kilmer
While serving as a hospital corpsman in Korea, Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class John E. Kilmer gave his life to save his comrades. He was only 21, but his effort and courage were unquestioned, and they led him to posthumously earn the Medal of Honor.
Kilmer was born Aug. 15, 1930, in Highland Park, Illinois, but his family moved him and his brother to San Antonio while they were still kids. Kilmer’s teenage years unfolded during and directly after World War II. Patriotism was incredibly high at that time, so on Aug. 16, 1947 the day after Kilmer’s 17th birthday he dropped out of high school to join the Navy.