COMMISSIONED WARRANT OFFICER
DONALD LEROY TRUESDELL, USMC (DECEASED) 

 

Medal of Honor Citation

The saga of Donald Leroy Truesdell (changed from Truesdale in 1942), whose bravery at the cost of his right forearm in Nicaragua and earned for him the Medal of Honor, harks back to April 1932.

Corporal Truesdell (a lieutenant in the Nicaraguan native army) was second in command of a patrol pushing through that country's trackless forests on the trail of bandits when a rifle grenade fell from the pack of one member of the patrol and hit a rock. The impact ignited the detonator of the grenade, threatening the safety of the entire patrol. Without hesitation, Cpl Truesdell grabbed the missile and attempted to hurl it away.

He was seconds late and the grenade exploded while still in his grasp, blowing off his hand and inflicting multiple wounds to his body. For his heroism he was awarded the nation's highest award, the Medal of Honor and also the Nicaraguan Cross of Valor by that Government.

Although he had lost an arm, he continued to serve with the Marine Corps until his retirement as a Commissioned Warrant Officer in May 1946. He first enlisted with the Marines in November 1924 as a private.

Born 26 August 1906, in Lugoff, South Carolina, he died in that town on 21 September 1993.

Second Nicaraguan Campaign 1928-1932 Medal of Honor