branch birth_place allegiance unit awards placeofburial_label birth_date rank article_title name
united states navy bermuda united states shenandoah 1862 6 medal of honor place of burial 1854 seaman john -rrb-
 smith -lrb- medal of honor , b. 1854 john smith
john smith -lrb- medal of honor , b. 1854 article_title_10:-rrb-

john smith -lrb- born 1854 , date of death unknown -rrb- was a united states navy sailor and a recipient of america 's highest military decoration , the medal of honor .
born in 1854 in bermuda , smith immigrated to the united states and joined the navy from new york .
by september 19 , 1880 , he was serving as a seaman on the .
on that day , while `` shenandoah '' was at rio de janeiro , brazil , he and seaman william morse jumped overboard and rescued first class fireman james grady from drowning .
for this action , both smith and morse were awarded the medal of honor four years later , on october 18 , 1884 .
his official medal of honor citation reads : for jumping overboard from the u.s.s. `` shenandoah '' , at rio de janeiro , brazil , 19 september 1880 , and rescuing from drowning james grady , first class fireman .
