Henry Clay Drexler was born on 7 August 1901 in Braddock, Pennsylvania. He was appointed from Delaware to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland and was commissioned an Ensign upon his graduation in June 1924. Drexler served on board USS Trenton when she suffered a gun-mount explosion on 20 October 1924, which took the lives of numerous crewmen. Drexler endeavored to stop the fire but lost his life in this attempt to save his shipmates. For his "extraordinary heroism" on this occasion, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. Henry C. Drexler is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.
USS Drexler (DD-741), 1944-1945, was named in honor of Ensign Henry C. Drexler.
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Medal of Honor citation of Ensign Henry C. Drexler, USN (as printed in the official publication "Medal of Honor, 1861-1949, The Navy", page 130): |
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Page made 24 January 2008