Medal of Honor: Boatswain’s Mate First Class Luovi Halling, Boatswain’s Mate First Class Alexander Peters

Halling & Peters
Boatswain’s Mates First Class, U.S. Navy
U.S.S. Missouri
September 15, 1904

On September 15, 1904, aboard the battleship U.S.S. Missouri, two sailors—one from Sweden, the other from Russia—proved that valor knows no national boundary. Boatswain’s Mate First Class Luovi Halling, born in Stockholm, and Boatswain’s Mate First Class Alexander Peters, born in Russia, were both immigrants serving the U.S. Navy when crisis struck.

That day, Ordinary Seaman Cecil C. Young fell overboard, struggling against the sea that threatened to take his life. In a moment where hesitation could mean death, Halling and Peters acted with instinctive courage. Ignoring the danger of drowning themselves, both men leapt into the waters in an effort to save their shipmate. It was not the roar of battle or the clash of steel that demanded their bravery—it was the call of humanity, of loyalty to a fellow sailor in need.

Their heroism stands as a reminder that the Navy is not only defended on the frontlines of war but also in the quiet, perilous moments of peace when brotherhood and sacrifice define the measure of a man. Both Halling and Peters were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions that day—two immigrants whose courage became part of America’s story.

Medal of Honor Citation

For heroism in attempting to rescue from drowning Cecil C. Young, ordinary seaman, 15 September 1904, while serving on board the U.S.S. Missouri.