Bernard A Byrne

Bernard was born on the 19th of October 1853, at the Newport Barracks in Kentucky, where his father was an Army surgeon. He attended and graduated from Columbian College, which is now George Washington University, and was then commissioned as a Second Lieutenant with the 6th US Infantry on the 15th of October 1875. By November of 1894, Bernard had been promoted to Captain with the 6th US Infantry and was deployed to the Philippines, where he would display actions that would earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

Most distinguished gallantry in rallying his men on the bridge after the line had been broken and pushed back.

For helping re-establish a resistance to the enemy, Bernard received the Medal of Honor on the 15th of July 1902, and received a promotion in the Volunteer Army to Lieutenant Colonel. By the time he retired on the 13th of July 1906, he was a Major in the regular Army with over 30 years of service. He became a member of the District of Columbia Sons of the American Revolution, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving history, and education. He was married to Bertha and I did not find any records of children. There is a known discrepancy regarding his middle name: some sources list it as Albert, though his Sons of the American Revolution application (which was in his hand writing) and his tombstone show it as Abert (which I am more inclined to believe is correct). Bernard Abert Byrne died on the 28th of February 1910 at the age of 56 and he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery: Section 1, Grave 707.