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Terrance Graves |
Madison County (NY) historian Matthew Urtz recently completed a series of
articles on a Medal of Honor recipient with ties to Madison County. Urtz
submitted this information that tells about the only non-Civil War
recipient, Terrance Graves, who is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in
Hamilton.
Graves was born on July 6th, 1945 in Corpus Christi, Texas.
He moved with his family to New York and eventually they settled in
Edmeston in Otsego County. Upon graduation from Edmeston Central High
School in 1963 he attended Miami University of Ohio playing varsity
baseball and serving as a battalion commander of his Naval ROTC unit.
Following graduation he was commissioned as a Marine Corps Second
Lieutenant and attended the Basic School in Quantico, Va. in November
1967.
Graves was assigned duty as a platoon commander of the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd
Marine Division when he arrived in Vietnam in December 1967. While on a
long-range patrol in the Quant Tri Province, Graves was killed on Feb.
16, 1968 when the helicopter he was riding in crashed. His leadership
and bravery prior to the crash earned Lieutenant Graves his Medal of
Honor.
Read more: Remembering a Medal of Honor recipient