b. 13/04/1863 San Francisco, California. d. 26/10/1943 Palo Alto, California.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 25/03/1899 Tuliahan River, Philippines.
George F Shiels MOH
George Franklin Shiels was born on April 13, 1863, in San Francisco, California, to William Shiels and Sarah Esdale Lynham. Little is known of his childhood. He graduated from the Military College in Ossening, New York and then attended the University of Edinburg where he earned a Bachelor of Medicine and a Master of Surgery. His thesis at the University of Edinburg was “On the Effects of Tobacco on Those Using it as a Luxury.” He joined the US Army Medical Volunteer Corps as a surgeon on the 8 July 1898, and he deployed to the Philippines with the Volunteer Medical Corps, serving until 1899. In 1902 he married Emily Montague Bibby Mead in Manhattan, NY.
Major Shiels served as a surgeon in the US Volunteer Medical Corps in the Philippines. During that service period, Major Shiels was cited for action above and beyond the call of duty placing himself in mortal danger on the battlefield while rescuing and treating wounded soldiers while under direct fire. For his valorous actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Theodore Roosevelt on the 22nd of November, 1906. After returning from the Philippines Major Shiels retired from military service and resumed his civilian life as a surgeon.
Now known as “The Fighting Doctor,” Dr. Shiels returned to civilian life as a surgeon and was appointed Professor of Surgery of Gunshot Wounds and Military Medicine at Fordham University in New York City. He was considered an expert at legal medicine, and was an expert witness at the murder trial of Harry W. Thaw (who had murdered architect Stanford White in Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden), supporting the first use of the temporary insanity defense. He also testified as an expert witness in the Fatty Arbuckle murder trial, in that case offering his opinion on the medical condition afflicting the victim prior to her murder. Dr. Shiels was a prolific contributor to medical journals, writing on wide ranging subjects including the nature of Colic, the proper teaching of anatomy, the role of the physician as an expert witness, and closure of surgical wounds.
At the outset of WWI, Dr. Shiels volunteered again for service, and was re-commissioned as a Major. He received a special order to serve in Major General Pershing’s forces in France, where he was assigned to the 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters. His actions on September 27–30, 1918, earned him the French Croix de Guerre and the Silver Star.
George was discharged in October 1919 and went on to become the professor of clinical surgery at the University of California, San Francisco and at Fordham University of New York. He married twice, first to Emily, and last to Grace (who had been married twice before with one child), and had no children with either wife.
The Honolulu-Star Bulletin December 5, 1930, printed a short entry about Dr. Shiels embarking on “a trip to the orient” in which he is referred to as “Colonel” although records have not yet been found corroborating a promotion. The same article states that Dr. Shiels “is traveling to recuperate from being gassed in the World War.” Again this has not yet been corroborated independently, and there is no record of a Purple Heart Medal.
MOH CITATION:
Voluntarily exposed himself to the fire of the enemy and went with four men to the relief of two native Filipinos lying wounded about 150 yards in front of the lines and personally carried one of them to a place of safety.
BURIAL LOCATION: CYPRESS LAWN CEMETERY, COLMA, CALIFORNIA.
CYPRESS MOUND, LOT 776.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: FAMILY.
