France Silva, born May 8, 1876 in Hayward, California, joined the Marine Corps in September 1899 in San Francisco and was assigned to the USS Newark. In May 1900, Private France Silva was a member of the Legation Guards when the Newark sailed for China to help land allied troops to assist civilians during the Boxer Rebellion.
On June 23, 1900, the Regiment, under the command of Major Littleton Waller entered the Tianjin to protect the civilians and forced the Chinese forces to retreat. Private Silva, along with several other marines and two sailors, earned the Medal of Honor in their defense of the civilian compound at Beijing. He became the first US Marine of Mexican-American and Hispanic heritage to receive the Medal of Honor.
Silva passed away in April 1951 in Red Bluff, California.
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