McGUNIGAL, PATRICK - Medal of Honor Recipient
Rank and organization: Shipfitter First Class, U.S. Navy. Born: 30 May
1876, Hubbard, Ohio. Accredited to: Ohio. G.O. No.: 341, 1917. Citation:
For extraordinary heroism while attached to the Huntington. On the morning
of 17 September 1917, while the U.S.S. Huntington was passing through the
war zone, a kite balloon was sent up with Lt. (j.g.) H. W. Hoyt, U.S. Navy,
as observer. When the balloon was about 400 feet in the air, the temperature
suddenly dropped, causing the balloon to descend about 200 feet, when it
was struck by a squall. The balloon was hauled to the ship's side, but
the basket trailed in the water and the pilot was submerged. McGunigal,
with great daring, climbed down the side of the ship, jumped to the ropes
leading to the basket, and cleared the tangle enough to get the pilot out
of them. He then helped the pilot to get clear, put a bowline around him,
and enabled him to be hauled to the deck. A bowline was lowered to McGunigal
and he was taken safely aboard.
This data was extracted from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863-1973 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1973)
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