August P . Teytand August P . Teytand ( April 6 , 1878 – March 4 , 1956 ) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military ' s highest decoration , the Medal of Honor for his actions aboard the . After immigrating to the United States from the West Indies and joined the Navy . He served aboard several ships including the and the . While serving aboard the " Olympia " he travelled to Asia and participated in the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish - American War . He was a member of the crew of as well when it foundered in a heavy fog and sank . It was for his actions during the wreck of the " Leyden " that he received the Medal of Honor . He died in 1956 and is buried in Pennsylvania . Early life and military . Teytand was born April 6 , 1878 in Santa Cruz , West Indies and after immigrating to the United States joined the Navy . He was an apprentice first class stationed aboard the , a protected cruiser , when it departed Mare Island August 25 , 1895 and joined the Asiatic Fleet . The " Olympia " was designated as the flagship for the fleet upon its arrival and for the next three years Teytand cruised the Far East , visiting Japan , China , and the Philippines . On January 3 , 1898 Commodore George Dewey took command of the fleet in anticipation of a pending war with Spain . The fleet waited in Hong Kong through the winter and on April 25 , 1898 word was received that the United States declared war with Spain . With this news the squadron moved to Mirs Bay , China . On the morning of May 1 , 1898 Commodore Dewey gave the order to enter Manila Bay and confront the Spanish flotilla commanded by Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarón . At approximately 05 : 40 , Dewey instructed Olympia ' s captain to open fire on the Spanish ships and the coastal batteries . Teytand and the other sailors aboard the " Olympia " fired the first shots of the engagement and continued to engage the Spanish ships until the majority of Pasarón ' s squadron of ships had been destroyed and then city of Manilla surrendered to Dewey and the American forces . After the defeat of the Spanish forces and the surrender of Manilla the " Olympia " , Teytand , and the other members of the crew remained in the area and supported the Army by shelling Spanish forces on land . On May 20 , 1899 , after completing their mission in the Philippines , the " Olympia " and her crew along with Teytand returned to the Chinese coast . They stayed in China for a month and then they returned to the United States , via the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea . The ship arrived in Boston , Massachusetts on October 10 , 1899 . Teytand remained in the navy after the Spanish - American War and on January 21 , 1903 he was serving as a quartermaster third class aboard the . When the " Leyden " was returning from Puerto Rico it foundered near Block Island in a heavy fog and for his actions during the wreck he received the Medal of Honor December 26 , 1903 . The full Medal of Honor citation reads : For heroism while serving on board the U . S . S . Leyden at the time of the wreck of that vessel , 21 January 1903 . In 1953 he posed for a picture for Life magazine with 64 other Medal of Honor recipients . The recipients were brought to New York City by Walter Winchell for a fundraiser for the Widows and orphans of New York City firemen and policemen . He died on March 4 , 1956 at the Naval Hospital in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . He is buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery Philadelphia , Pennsylvania where his is grave can be found in the Naval Asylum plot .