Hospital Apprentice First Class David E. Hayden

David E. Hayden was born on 2 October 1897 in Florence, TX. At the time of action he was a Hospital Apprentice First Class, USN. His citation reads, “For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action in Thiaucourt, 15 September 1918, with the 2nd Battalion, 6th Regiment, United States Marines. During the advance, when Corporal Creed was mortally wounded while crossing an open field swept by machinegun fire, Hayden
unhesitatingly ran to his assistance and, finding him so severely wounded as to require immediate attention, disregarded his own personal safety to dress the wound under intense machinegun fire, and then carried the wounded man back to a place of safety.”

After the war, David Hayden left the Navy and became a U.S. Marshal. He died on 18 March 1974 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery (Section 35, Lot 1864).