Francis C. Hammond

Who was Francis C. Hammond?

Francis Colton Hammond was a United States Navy Hospital Corpsman who served with a United States Marine Corps unit during the Korean War. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the night of March 26–27, 1953.

Born in Alexandria, Virginia, Hammond graduated from that city's George Washington High School in 1949. He joined the Navy from Alexandria in 1951 and by March 26, 1953, was serving as a hospital corpsman with the 1st Marine Division in Korea. On that night, during a counterattack against an entrenched force, he exposed himself to intense hostile fire in order to treat wounded Marines, even after he had been wounded himself. When a relief unit arrived and his own unit was ordered to pull back, Hammond remained in the area, helping evacuate casualties and assisting the newly arrived corpsmen, until he was killed by mortar fire. For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Hammond, aged 21 at his death, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia.