Coast Guard History
Frequently Asked Questions
General George S. Patton, U.S. Army
On October 1925 then Major Patton received the Silver Lifesaving Medal. The inscription on the rear of the medal states:
"To George S. Patton, Jr. for bravely rescuing three boys from drowning on 3 February 1926."
At the time of the rescue Patton was on 3 months of leave in Salem, Massachusetts. He had just graduated from Advanced Cavalry School in FT Riley, Kansas. He was on leave prior to his reporting to the General Service School in FT Leavenworth.
The citation reads:
"Major Patton and his wife, sailing over the harbor of Salem, Massachusetts, August 21, 1923, when a squall blew up. Being unable to weather around and return home they continued on across the harbor, after which they heard cries of distress astern. Still being unable to go about, Major Patton maneuvered his boat so as to drift toward three boys observed clinging to a capsized dory from which the mast and sails had been unshipped and floating around making the approach very awkward. One boy called that his companion could not swim, whereupon Major Patton reached out an oar, taking the boys, one by one over the stern into his boat, which then had practically no freeboard. Nevertheless, he managed to reach the lee of the land and dropped the boys safely on a pier, about one and on-half miles distant."
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