Men who have earned the right to wear the cherished Congressional Medal of Honor - the highest award bestowed for gallantry in actual combat with a national enemy - are scattered very thinly over the country. They are men who in battle risked all in the performance of acts of conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond all call of duty - acts which sometimes border very closely on the unbelievable. Theirs was an inspired courage.

Only 3,157 Medals have been issued in 94 years. One of those was awarded to Benjamin C. Criswell who was the grandfather of Mike Berry who runs the Cotton Gin on W. Broadway in Altus. A special ceremony was held Monday honoring the veteran who has been noted as an outstanding hero for rescuing the body of Lt. Hodgson from the lines of the enemy.

Berry said that the National Medal of Honor Society contacted him about 5 years ago.

“I had no idea about this at the time,” Berry said. “But after that, through research we located the grave and ordered the marker from the Veteran’s Association.”

Berry said that the Gould American Legion heard about it and wanted to host a ceremony on Memorial Day, so the marker was set and the ceremony was held Monday.

According to history, on June 25, 1876, Sitting Bull overwhelmed and slaughtered the greater part of the 7th U. S. Cavalry, under General George A. Custer, in an action on the Little Big Horn in Montana. Not a white soldier survived the massacre, but there were survivors in the companies sent to other sections before the battle opened, under the commands of Major Reno and Captain Benteen. These detached commands were also hotly engaged and escaped only with greatly depleted ranks. Benjamin C. Criswell of Marshall County, then a Sergeant in Co. B, 7th Cavalry was one of the outstanding heroes of the engagement and won his bit of bronze for rescuing the body of Lt. Hodgson from the lines of the enemy, for bringing up ammunition, and for encouraging the men on the most exposed positions under heavy fire.