Corydon M. Wassell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Corydon McAlmont Wassell

Born	(1884-07-04)July 4, 1884 Little Rock, Arkansas, US
Died	May 12, 1958(1958-05-12) (aged 73) Little Rock, Arkansas, US
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Navy
Rank	Rear admiral
Battles / wars	World War II
Awards	Navy Cross
Spouse(s)	Mary Irene Yarnell (m. 1911; died 1926) Madeline Edith Day (m. 1926)
Children	4, all with Mary Irene

Corydon McAlmont Wassell (July 4, 1884 – May 12, 1958) was a medical doctor best known for his work as a United States Navy physician. He was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Wassell graduated with an M.D. from the University of Arkansas in 1909 and began his practice in Tillar, Arkansas. In 1913, he left his practice to serve as a medical missionary in Wuchang, China.

Wassell resumed regular duties with the United States Navy Reserve in 1936. In 1942, during World War II, he was a lieutenant commander, U.S.N.R., and acted as liaison officer for about forty wounded American servicemen from the USS Marblehead in a Dutch hospital in Java.^[1] He was awarded the Navy Cross for saving twelve of the most severely wounded from certain capture by the Japanese on Java, and accompanying them to Fremantle and safety.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Wassell's Navy Cross citations reads:

For especially meritorious conduct, devotion to duty, and utter disregard of personal safety, while in imminent contact with enemy forces and under attack from enemy aircraft, in caring for and evacuating the wounded of the United States Navy under his charge in Java, Netherlands East Indies, about March 1, 1942.

A radio speech by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt^[1] inspired Cecil B. DeMille to make a movie about Wassell, starring Gary Cooper. Titled The Story of Dr. Wassell, it was based on a biographical novel written by James Hilton. Wassell served as an uncredited technical adviser to the movie. According to his great-grandson, all of the proceeds that Wassell received from the movie were donated to a hospital for the deaf and blind in Little Rock.

Wassell died on May 12, 1958, in Little Rock and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His Little Rock home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Dr. Corydon Wassell". Obituaries. The Times. No. 54150. London. 14 May 1958. col b, p. 15. Gale CS252926638.
^ Wassell, Corydon M.; Conquergood, C.R. (1944-11-21). "The War in the Far East". The Empire Club of Canada Speeches 1944–1945. The Empire Club of Canada. pp. 133–147. Archived from the original on 2006-11-13. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
^ "Dr. Wassell". USS Marblehead.com. Retrieved 2007-02-13.

External links

Pinkowski, Edward. "Dr. Wassell's Boys" (PDF). Our Navy (Mid-January 1945): 12. 13, and 14.
Roosevelt: 'A Call for Sacrifice' Archived 2013-10-11 at the Wayback Machine, April 28, 1942

v t e Protestant missions to China
Background	Protestantism in China Protestantism in Sichuan Chinese history Missions timeline Christianity in China Nestorians Jesuits Protestant missions in China 1807–1953
People	David Howard Adeney Mary Ann Aldersey Roland Allen Thomas J. Arnold Gladys Aylward Joseph Beech John Birch William Jones Boone Pearl S. Buck John Burdon Thomas Cochrane Hunter Corbett Jonathan Goforth Frederick Graves Karl Gützlaff Francis Hanson Laura Askew Haygood Elizabeth G. K. Hewat Jennie V. Hughes Robert A. Jaffray Carl C. Jeremiassen Griffith John Walter Judd James Legge Eric Liddell Robert Samuel Maclay Lottie Moon Robert Morrison George Moule Gideon Nye David Paton Karl Ludvig Reichelt Timothy Richard Issachar Jacox Roberts Charles Scott Cambridge Seven George Smith Vincent John Stanton John and Betty Stam John Leighton Stuart Elwood Gardner Tewksbury Hudson Taylor Thomas Torrance William C. White (more missionaries)
Missionary agencies	American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions American Methodist Episcopal Mission Canadian Methodist Mission China Inland Mission Church Mission Society London Missionary Society National Christian Council US Presbyterian Mission Protestant Episcopal Church Mission List of Protestant missionary societies in China (1807–1953)
Colleges and universities	United Board University of Shanghai Cheeloo University Ginling College University of Nanking Soochow University Yenching University St. John's University Hangchow University Fukien Christian University Lingnan University College of Yale-in-China Huachung University West China Union University Peking Union Medical College Methodist Episcopal Church Hwa Nan College English Presbyterian Mission Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui Oberlin Shansi Memorial Association Reformed Church in the United States
Impact	Bible translations into Chinese Medical missions in China Manchurian revival Chinese Christian colleges Chinese hymnody Chinese Roman Type Minnan Roman Type Foochow Roman Type Anti-footbinding Anti-opium
Pivotal events	Taiping Rebellion First Opium War Second Opium War Unequal treaty Yangzhou riot Tianjin Massacre Kucheng Massacre Boxer Crisis 1911 Revolution Chinese Civil War Second Sino-Japanese War People's Republic
Publications	The Chinese Repository Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal The Christian Occupation of China Journal of the West China Border Research Society The West China Missionary News

This biographical article related to the United States Navy is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Categories:

Hidden categories:

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF FAST WorldCat
National	United States Czech Republic Netherlands
Other	SNAC