Saint Luke the Evangelist
St Luke Displaying a Painting of Mary, by Guercino
Apostle, Evangelist, Martyr
Born	Antioch, Syria, Roman Empire
Died	c. 84 near Boeotia, Greece
Honored in	Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Anglican Church, Lutheran Church, some other Protestant Churches
Major shrine	Padua, Italy
Feast	18 October
Patronage	artists, physicians, surgeons, and others[1]
Major work(s)	Gospel of Luke Acts of the Apostles

Luke the Evangelist (Ancient Greek: Λουκᾶς, Loukás) is a character in the New Testament. He is mentioned in three of the Pauline Epistles including Colossians where he is described by Paul as "Our dear friend Luke, the doctor" (NIV).^[2][3][4] Early Church Fathers such as Jerome and Eusebius claimed that he was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles and this is the traditional Christian view today.

He is venerated as Saint Luke, patron saint of artists, physicians, surgeons, students, butchers; his feast day is 18 October.

Life[link]

James Tissot - Saint Luke (Saint Luc) - Brooklyn Museum

Luke was a Greco-Syrian physician who lived in the Greek city of Antioch in Ancient Syria.^{[5][6][7][8][9][10]}

His earliest notice is in Paul's Epistle to Philemon, verse 24. He is also mentioned in Colossians 4:14 and 2 Timothy 4:11, two works commonly ascribed to Paul. The next earliest account of Luke is in the Anti-Marcionite Prologue to the Gospel of Luke, a document once thought to date to the 2nd century, but which has more recently been dated to the later 4th century. Helmut Koester, however, claims that the following part – the only part preserved in the original Greek – may have been composed in the late 2nd century:

Epiphanius states that Luke was one of the Seventy (Panarion 51.11), and John Chrysostom indicates at one point that the "brother" Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians 8:18 is either Luke or Barnabas. J. Wenham asserts that Luke was "one of the Seventy, the Emmaus disciple, Lucius of Cyrene and Paul's kinsman." Not all scholars are as confident of all of these attributes as Wenham is, not least because Luke's own statement at the beginning of the Gospel of Luke (1:1–4) freely admits that he was not an eyewitness to the events of the Gospel.

If one accepts that Luke was in fact the author of the Gospel bearing his name and also the Acts of the Apostles, certain details of his personal life can be reasonably assumed. While he does exclude himself from those who were eyewitnesses to Jesus' ministry, he repeatedly uses the word "we" in describing the Pauline missions in Acts of the Apostles, indicating that he was personally there at those times.^[12]

There is similar evidence that Luke resided in Troas, the province which included the ruins of ancient Troy, in that he writes in Acts in the third person about Paul and his travels until they get to Troas, where he switches to the first person plural. The "we" section of Acts continues until the group leaves Philippi, when his writing goes back to the third person. This change happens again when the group returns to Philippi. There are three "we sections" in Acts, all following this rule. Luke never stated, however, that he lived in Troas, and this is the only evidence that he did.

The composition of the writings, as well as the range of vocabulary used, indicate that the author was an educated man. The quote in the Letter of Paul to the Colossians differentiating between Luke and other colleagues "of the circumcision"^[13] has caused many to speculate that this indicates Luke was a Gentile. If this were true, it would make Luke the only writer of the New Testament who can clearly be identified as not being Jewish. However, that is not the only possibility. The phrase could just as easily be used to differentiate between those Christians who strictly observed the rituals of Judaism and those who did not.^[12]

Luke's presence in Rome with the Apostle Paul near the end of Paul's life was attested by 2 Timothy 4:11: "Only Luke is with me". In the last chapter of the Book of Acts, widely attributed to Luke, we find several accounts in the first person also affirming Luke's presence in Rome including Acts 28:16: "And when we came to Rome..." According to some accounts, Luke also contributed to authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews.

Luke died at age 84 in Boeotia, according to a "fairly early and widespread tradition".^[14] According to Nikiphoros-Kallistos Xanthopoulos (Eccles. History XIVth c. AD., Migne P.G. 145, 876) and others, Luke's Tomb was located in Thebes (Greece), from whence his relics were transferred to Constantinople in the year 357.

Luke as a historian[link]

A medieval Armenian illumination, by Toros Roslin.

Most scholars understand Luke's works (Luke-Acts) in the tradition of Greek historiography.^[15] The preface of The Gospel of Luke^[16] drawing on historical investigation is believed to have identified the work to the readers as belonging to the genre of history.^[17] There is some disagreement about how best to treat Luke's writings, with some historians regarding Luke as highly accurate, and others taking a more critical approach.

Based on his accurate description of towns, cities and islands, as well as correctly naming various official titles, archaeologist Sir William Ramsay wrote that "Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy...[he] should be placed along with the very greatest of historians." It should be noted, however, that Ramsay makes no claims about the events dscribed by Luke.^[18] Professor of classics at Auckland University, E.M. Blaiklock, wrote: "For accuracy of detail, and for evocation of atmosphere, Luke stands, in fact, with Thucydides. The Acts of the Apostles is not shoddy product of pious imagining, but a trustworthy record...it was the spadework of archaeology which first revealed the truth."^[19] New Testament scholar Colin Hemer has made a number of advancements in understanding the historical nature and accuracy of Luke's writings.^[20]

On the purpose of Acts, New Testament Scholar Luke Timothy Johnson has noted that "Luke's account is selected and shaped to suit his apologetic interests, not in defiance of but in conformity to ancient standards of historiography."^[21] Such a position is shared by most commentators such as Richard Heard who sees historical deficiencies as arising from "special objects in writing and to the limitations of his sources of information."^[22] However, during modern times, Luke's competence as a historian is questioned, although that depends on one's a priori view of the supernatural. A materialist would see a narrative that relates supernatural, fantastic things like angels, demons etc. as problematic as a historical source. And it is understood that Luke did not intend to record history. His intention was to proclaim and to persuade. Many see this understanding as the final nail in Luke the historian's coffin.^[23] Robert M. Grant has noted that although Luke saw himself within the historical tradition, his work contains a number of statistical improbabilities such as the sizable crowd addressed by Peter in Acts 4:4. He has also noted chronological difficulties whereby Luke "has Gamaliel refer to Theudas and Judas in the wrong order, and Theudas actually rebelled about a decade after Gamaliel spoke(5:36-7)'^[15]

Luke as an artist[link]

Luke the Evangelist painting the first icon of the Virgin Mary.

Another Christian tradition states that he was the first icon painter. He is said to have painted pictures of the Virgin Mary (for example, The Black Madonna of Częstochowa or Our Lady of Vladimir) and of Peter and Paul. Thus late medieval Guilds of St Luke in the cities of Flanders, or the "Accademia di San Luca" (Academy of St. Luke) in Rome—imitated in many other European cities during the 16th century—gathered together and protected painters. The tradition that Luke painted icons of Mary and Jesus has been common, particularly in Eastern Orthodoxy. The tradition also has support from the Saint Thomas Christians of India who claim to still have one of the Theotokos icons that St. Luke painted and which St. Thomas brought to India.^[24]

New Testament books[link]

See also Gospel of Luke: Author and Acts of the Apostles: Authorship

Some scholars attribute to Luke the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, which is clearly meant to be read as a sequel to the Gospel account. Other scholars question Luke's authorship of these books. Many secular scholars give credit to Luke's abilities as a historian. Both books are dedicated to one Theophilus and no scholar seriously doubts that the same person wrote both works, though neither work contains the name of its author.

Many argue that the author of the book must have been a companion of the Apostle Paul, because of several passages in Acts written in the first person plural (known as the We Sections). These verses seem to indicate the author was traveling with Paul during parts of his journeys. Some scholars report that, of the colleagues that Paul mentions in his epistles, the process of elimination leaves Luke as the only person who fits everything known about the author of Luke/Acts.

Additionally, the earliest manuscript of the Gospel, dated circa AD 200, ascribes the work to Luke; as did Irenaeus, writing circa AD 180; and the Muratorian fragment from AD 170.^[25] Scholars defending Luke's authorship say there is no reason for early Christians to attribute these works to such a minor figure if he did not in fact write them, nor is there any tradition attributing this work to any other author.

Luke and the Madonna, Altar of the Guild of St. Luke, Hermen Rode, Lübeck 1484.

The ox as symbol of St. Luke[link]

In traditional depictions, such as paintings, evangelist portraits and church mosaics, St. Luke is often accompanied by an ox or bull, usually having wings. Also, only the symbol may be shown, especially when in a combination of those of all Four Evangelists.^[26][27]

The relics of St. Luke the Evangelist[link]

Despot George of Serbia bought the relics from the Ottoman sultan Murad II for 30.000 gold coins.^{[28][29][not in citation given]} After the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia, the kingdom's last queen, George's granddaughter Mary, who had brought the relics with her from Serbia as her dowry, sold them to the Venetian Republic.^[30]

In 1992, the then Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Ieronymos of Thebes and Levathia (the current Archbishop of Athens and All Greece) requested from Bishop Antonio Mattiazzo of Padua the return of a a significant fragment of the relics of St. Luke to be placed on the site where the holy tomb of the Evangelist is located and venerated today. This prompted a scientific investigation of the relics in Padua, and by numerous lines of empirical evidence (archeological analyses of the Tomb in Thebes and the Reliquary of Padua, anatomical analyses of the remains, Carbon-14 dating, comparison with the purported skull of the Evangelist located in Prague) confirmed that these were the remains of an individual of Syrian descent who died between 72 and 416 A.D. The Bishop of Padua then delivered to Metropolitan Ieronymos the rib of St. Luke that was closest to his heart to be kept at his tomb in Thebes, Greece.^[28][29]

Thus, nowadays, the relics of St. Luke are so divided:

• the body, in the Abbey of Santa Giustina in Padua;
• the head, in the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague;
• a rib, at his tomb in Thebes.

References[link]

• I. Howard Marshall. Luke: Historian and Theologian. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press.
• F.F. Bruce, The Speeches in the Acts of the Apostles. London: The Tyndale Press, 1942.[1]
• Helmut Koester. Ancient Christian Gospels. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Trinity Press International, 1999.
• Burton L. Mack. Who Wrote the New Testament?: The Making of the Christian Myth. San Francisco, California: HarperCollins, 1996.
• J. Wenham, "The Identification of Luke", Evangelical Quarterly 63 (1991), 3–44

Notes[link]

Saint Luke in the Hours of Mary of Burgundy (1477)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Luke the Evangelist

Wikisource has the text of an 1879 American Cyclopædia article about Luke the Evangelist.

• The Life of St. Luke the Evangelist, Apostle & Martyr
• Gospel of St.Luke - Douay-Rheims Bible
• Biblical Interpretation of Texts of Saint Luke
• Early Christian Writings: Gospel of Luke e-texts, introductions
• National Academy of Sciences on Luke the Evangelist
• Gospel of Saint Luke
• Patron Saint Luke
• Photo of the grave of Luke in Padua (in German)
• DNA testing of the Saint Luke corpse

The Evangelist is the fifth album by Robert Forster. It was released by YepRoc in 2008.

Track listing[link]

All songs written by Forster, except where noted.

1. "If It Rains" – 3:47
2. "Demon Days" (R.Forster/G.McLennan) – 3:40
3. "Pandanus" – 3:59
4. "Did She Overtake You" – 3:24
5. "The Evangelist" – 4:30
6. "Let Your Light In, Babe" (R.Forster/G.McLennan) – 4:44
7. "A Place to Hide Away" – 2:33
8. "Don't Touch Anything" – 4:09
9. "It Ain't Easy" (R.Forster/G.McLennan) – 3:29
10. "From Ghost Town" – 5:42

Personnel[link]

• Adele Pickvance – electric bass, contra bass, mandolin, found sounds, mini moog, vocals
• Glenn Thompson – drums, acoustic and electric guitar, vocals
• Robert Forster – vocals, acoustic, nylon and electric guitar, piano, casio, harmonica
• Seamus Beaghen – celeste, piano, Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes
• Gill Morley – violin
• Audrey Riley – cello
• Sue Dench – violin
• Chris Tombling – violin
• Greg Warren Wilson – violin

This 2000s rock album-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

The Kings
The Kings performing at the George R. Robinson Bandshell in Gage Park, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Background information
Origin	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genres	Rock, pop
Years active	1977–present
Website	thekingsarehere.com
Members
David Diamond Mister Zero Peter Nunn Sonny Keyes Peter Kadar Todd Reynolds
Past members
Gary Craig Greg Chritchley Josh Broadbent Marty Cordrey Max Styles Randall Coryell Rich Roxborough Whitey Glan Atilla Turi

The Kings are a Canadian rock band formed in 1977 in Vancouver. They are best known for their 1980 North American hit "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide".^[1]

Recording history[link]

The Kings were formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Oakville, Ontario in the late 1970s. The original lineup included David Diamond (bass, lead vocals), Sonny Keyes (keyboards, vocals), Max Styles (drums), and Mister Zero (guitar) with Mister Zero and David Diamond serving as the main songwriters with contributions from Sonny Keyes. The Kings were originally known as WhistleKing and rehearsed, performed club gigs, and wrote a considerable number of songs for more than three years.

In early 1980 the band went into Nimbus 9 Studio in Toronto to record their first album. While recording, renowned producer Bob Ezrin visited the studio, listened to the band, and liked what he heard.^[2] Together they created the album The Kings Are Here featuring the hit "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide". Two other singles followed and the band began touring extensively with Bob Seger, Jeff Beck, The Beach Boys and Eric Clapton. During 1980, their rising commercial fortunes culminated in an appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, and the closing spot at the major Heatwave festival in August.^[1]

Amazon Beach, the 1981 follow-up to The Kings Are Here, produced little in the way of sales, and the band was soon dropped from their label Elektra Records. The Kings soldiered on and released the EP "R.S.V.P" and the live album Party Live '85 on their own Dizzy label, while continuing to tour Canada and the US throughout the remainder of the 1980s. Max Styles left the band in approximately 1982.

Comebacks[link]

The late 1980s were a difficult period for The Kings as they lost their drummer and their record label. As it were, the group was on the verge of a major revival as the single "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide" became a huge radio hit in Chicago getting major play on all of the main rock stations: Classic rock WCKG, Alternative rock WXRT, and Mainstream Rock WLUP, as well as Top 40 powerhouse WLS-AM. The unavailability of the Kings records led Chicago DJ Bob Stroud of WLUP to record his own version of the single with his band Rockestra [1]. Elektra Records unfortunately remained unaware of the burgeoning hit and never reissued the single or album.

The single "Parting Of The Ways" appeared on Bullseye Records compilation Unsigned, Sealed and Delivered in 1991. This comeback prompted The Kings to return to the studio to record Unstoppable produced by John Punter, David Diamond and Mister Zero in 1993. Unstoppable produced several hits in Canada including "Lesson To Learn", "Shoulda Been Me", "Tonight I Got You", "Parting Of The Ways", and the title track "Unstoppable". A phone call in 1999 from Mister Zero to Alan Fletcher at Warner Canada led to the green light needed for Warner to re-issue The Kings Are Here..and More which allowed fans to get their hit "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide" on CD, which was fully remastered from the original 2 track tapes by Zero . ...and More also contained a few re-mixed tracks from Unstoppable and two previously unreleased tracks -"If The Stars Come Out Tonight" and "Right To The Top". A remixed and more mature version of "If The Stars Come Out Tonight" appeared on Because Of You released in 2003. Combined original sales and cd sales have passed the platinum mark in Canada but no certification is allowed because of the bonus tracks on the cd, which are the only way the band makes money from that project.

Throughout the remainder of the 1990s, The Kings continued to tour and play live shows around Toronto, but Sonny Keyes' role with The Kings diminished and only Mister Zero and David Diamond remain as permanent members from the original lineup. Sonny Keyes continued to contribute when called upon by Zero and Diamond.

Drummer Atilla Turi and keyboard players Peter Nunn and Rich Roxborough joined Mister Zero and David Diamond on the 2003 Bullseye Records release "Because Of You" (Josh Broadbent - Diamond's son - was also recruited into The Kings to contribute his vocals). "Because Of You" would be The Kings' strongest effort to date with Harry Hess recording alongside producers Zero and Diamond. A video was made for the title track, "It's Up To You" and "The Fools Are In Love" was re-mixed from the Amazon Beach release. Sonny Keyes co-wrote "A Way You'll Never Be" with Mister Zero.

A reunion of the original lineup of The Kings occurred in the winter of 2001 with Max Styles and Sonny Keyes joining their old mates for Alan Frew's (Glass Tiger) children benefit concert for Camp Trillium in Toronto. They played the benefit concert again in 2002.

In late 2005 The Kings had a full length reunion concert in Toronto which was filmed for inclusion in the DVD documentary being assembled by Mister Zero.^[1] The first part of this film to be seen is the incredible video for This Beat Goes On/Switchin' to Glide, released October 2006, which gets thousands of plays on YouTube.^[3]

Another focus for The Kings was to put as many songs as possible on iTunes, thus having the catalog available worldwide instantly. The album The Kings Anthology One is the latest addition, 12 songs from different eras including never before heard epic rockers from Whistleking.

In to 2008, The Kings continue to play live shows across southern Ontario and, from time to time, the northern United States. The Kings are also finishing new songs for their next studio album.

Lineups[link]

The Kings 1977 - 1982

1. David Diamond (vocals, bass)
2. Mister Zero (guitar)
3. Sonny Keyes (keyboards)
4. Max Styles (drums)

The Kings 1982 - 1999

1. David Diamond (vocals, bass)
2. Mister Zero (guitar)
3. Sonny Keyes (keyboards)
4. Peter Nunn (1994) (keyboards)
5. Marty Cordrey, Whitey Glan, Gary Craig, Randall Coryell, Greg Chritchley, Atilla Turi (drums)
6. Josh Broadbent (vocals)

The Kings 1999 - 2005

1. David Diamond (vocals, bass)
2. Mister Zero (guitar)
3. Atilla Turi (drums)
4. Peter Nunn (keyboards)
5. Rich Roxborough (keyboards)
6. Josh Broadbent (vocals)

The Kings 2005–present

1. David Diamond (vocals, bass)
2. Mister Zero (guitar)
3. Atilla Turi (drums)
4. Peter Nunn (keyboards)
5. Sonny Keyes (keyboards)
6. Peter Kadar (keyboards)
7. Josh Broadbent (vocals)
8. Todd Reynolds (Drums)

Discography[link]

• The Kings Are Here album (Elektra, 1980)
• Amazon Beach album (Elektra, 1981)
• R.S.V.P [4-Song EP] (Dizzy, 1982)
• Party Live '85 live album (Dizzy, 1985)
• Parting Of The Ways single (1991)
• Unstoppable CD (Dizzy, 1993)
• Unstoppable [W/This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide added] CD (Griffin, 1995)
• The Kings Are Here..and More CD (Warner, 2000)
• The Kings Are Here/Amazon Beach (2 on 1 CD, Wounded Bird, 2003)
• Because Of You CD (2003)
• Anthology One CD (2006)

See also[link]

• Canadian rock
• Music of Canada

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Kings Official website
• Bullseye Records
• The Kings: Anatomy of a One-Hit Wonder DVD review

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2009)

Shannon Walker
NASA Astronaut
Nationality	American
Status	Active
Born	(1965-06-04) 4 June 1965 (age 47) Houston, Texas
Other occupation	Physicist
Time in space	163d 07h 11m
Selection	2004 NASA Group 19
Missions	Soyuz TMA-19, Expedition 24/25
Mission insignia

Shannon Walker (born 4 June 1965 in Houston, Texas) is an American scientist and a NASA astronaut, whose first space mission was Expedition 24 on the International Space Station with take-off on 15 June 2010.^[1] She is married to a fellow NASA astronaut, the Australian-born Andy Thomas.^[2] She is a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots.

Education[link]

Walker graduated from Westbury High School in Houston in 1983;^[3] received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics from Rice University in Houston in 1987; received a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy in Space Physics from Rice University in 1992 and 1993 respectively.

NASA career[link]

Walker began her professional career with the Rockwell Space Operations Company at the Johnson Space Center in 1987 as a robotics flight controller for the Space Shuttle Program. She worked several Space Shuttle missions as a flight controller in the Mission Control Center, including STS-27, STS-32, STS-51, STS-56, STS-60, STS-61, and STS-66. From 1990 to 1993, Walker took a leave of absence from the Johnson Space Center to attend graduate school, where her area of study was the solar wind interaction with the Venusian atmosphere. In 1995 she joined the NASA civil service and began working in the International Space Station (ISS) Program at the Johnson Space Center. Dr. Walker worked in the area robotics integration, working with the ISS International Partners in the design and construction of the robotics hardware for the Space Station. In 1998 she joined the ISS Mission Evaluation Room (MER) as a manager for coordinating on-orbit problem resolution for the International Space Station. In 1999, Walker moved to Moscow, Russia to work with the Russian Space Agency and its contractors in the areas of avionics integration for the ISS as well as integrated problem solving for the ISS. She returned to Houston in 2000 after a year in Russia and became the technical lead for the ISS MER as well as the Deputy Manager of the On-Orbit Engineering Office. Most recently, prior to selection as an astronaut candidate, Walker was the Acting Manager of the On-Orbit Engineering Office.^[2]

The NEEMO 15 Crew: Left to right: Takuya Onishi, David Saint-Jacques, Steve Squyres, Walker.

Walker was selected by NASA as an Astronaut Candidate in May 2004. In February 2006 she completed Astronaut Candidate Training that included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training, T-38 flight training, and water and wilderness survival training. Completion of this initial training qualifies her for various technical assignments within the Astronaut Office and future flight assignment as a mission specialist.^[2] In early September, she had visited Johnston Middle School, along with Parker and Westbury students. There, via TV, she spoke about dreams and education. She came back in early May.

Walker was assigned as the backup Commander for ISS Expedition 22 and as a Flight Engineer on the crew of Expedition 25.^[4]

Walker was launched to space from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 15 June 2010 in Soyuz TMA-19.^[1] She returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-19 on November 25, 2010.^[5]

On September 19, 2011, NASA announced that Walker would command the NEEMO 15 undersea exploration mission aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory from October 17–30, 2011.^[6] Delayed by stormy weather and high seas, the mission began on October 20, 2011.^[7][8] On the afternoon of October 21, Walker and her crew officially became aquanauts, having spent over 24 hours underwater. NEEMO 15 ended early on October 26 due to the approach of Hurricane Rina.^[7]

Awards and honors[link]

Goethe Institute Scholarship for Study Abroad, Rice Fellowship for Graduate Study, Rockwell Sustained Superior Performance Award; seven Group Achievement Awards for work in the International Space Station (ISS) Program; three Going the Extra Mile Awards for work in the ISS Program; a Space Flight Awareness Award for contributions to the ISS Program; and nine Performance Bonus Awards.^[2]

Hobbies[link]

Walker's recreational interests include cooking, soccer, running, weight training, flying, camping, and travel.^[2]

References[link]

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

External links[link]

• NASA Astronaut Bio: Shannon Walker (02/2008)
• Spacefacts biography of Shannon Walker

Matthew Leonard
Matthew Leonard, Medal of Honor recipient
Born	(1929-11-26)November 26, 1929 Eutaw, Alabama
Died	February 28, 1967(1967-02-28) (aged 37) Vietnam
Place of burial	Fort Mitchell National Cemetery Fort Mitchell, Alabama
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Rank	Sergeant First Class
Battles/wars	Korean War Vietnam
Awards	Medal of Honor

Matthew Leonard (November 26, 1929–February 28, 1967) was a United States Army soldier who received America's highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in the Vietnam War.

Biography[link]

Leonard was born in Eutaw, Alabama. He married his elementary school sweetheart, Lois, and they had five children.^[1]

Matthew Leonard entered the Army from Birmingham, Alabama. He served in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War. On February 28, 1967, Leonard was serving as a platoon Sergeant with Company B, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division near Suoi Da, South Vietnam. When his platoon came under attack on that day, Sergeant Leonard organized the defense and encouraged his men. Despite suffering several wounds, he continued to command and eventually charged an enemy machine gun. He was wounded again during the charge, and died soon after.

For his actions on that day, Sergeant Leonard received the Medal of Honor. Leonard's widow Lois and her family were presented with his Medal of Honor by President Lyndon B. Johnson during a ceremony at the Pentagon on December 19, 1968.^[1]

Matthew Leonard is buried in Fort Mitchell, Alabama's National Cemetery.^[2]

Medal of Honor citation[link]

Sergeant Leonard's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. His platoon was suddenly attacked by a large enemy force employing small arms, automatic weapons, and hand grenades. Although the platoon leader and several other key leaders were among the first wounded, P/Sgt. Leonard quickly rallied his men to throw back the initial enemy assaults. During the short pause that followed, he organized a defensive perimeter, redistributed ammunition, and inspired his comrades through his forceful leadership and words of encouragement. Noticing a wounded companion outside the perimeter, he dragged the man to safety but was struck by a sniper's bullet which shattered his left hand. Refusing medical attention and continuously exposing himself to the increasing fire as the enemy again assaulted the perimeter, P/Sgt. Leonard moved from position to position to direct the fire of his men against the well camouflaged foe. Under the cover of the main attack, the enemy moved a machine gun into a location where it could sweep the entire perimeter. This threat was magnified when the platoon machine gun in this area malfunctioned. P/Sgt. Leonard quickly crawled to the gun position and was helping to clear the malfunction when the gunner and other men in the vicinity were wounded by fire from the enemy machine gun. P/Sgt. Leonard rose to his feet, charged the enemy gun and destroyed the hostile crew despite being hit several times by enemy fire. He moved to a tree, propped himself against it, and continued to engage the enemy until he succumbed to his many wounds. His fighting spirit, heroic leadership, and valiant acts inspired the remaining members of his platoon to hold back the enemy until assistance arrived. P/Sgt. Leonard's profound courage and devotion to his men are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and his gallant actions reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.^[3]

See also[link]

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War

	Biography portal
	United States Army portal

Notes[link]

References[link]

• "Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipients (A-L)". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. 2004-03-15. http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/vietnam-a-l.html. Retrieved 2006-09-29.