It is with great pride that Eureka Springs boasts as being the birthplace of Army Captain Marcellus H. Chiles.

Chiles is one of only three Arkansans to receive the Medal of Honor during World War I, and all three received the honor posthumously.

Chiles was born on Feb. 5, 1895, in Eureka Springs. He was the oldest of three children born to Attorney John and Lillian Chiles.

It was during the last major Allied offensive of the war, the Meuse- Argonne Offensive, that Capt. Chiles performed his heroic feat. While advancing south of the French village of Le Champy-Bas, all of the battalion commanders and other officers of his unit were killed. While the company was halted by heavy machine gun fire, Chiles assumed command, picked up a rifle and continued to move forward, all along encouraging the men to follow.

After crossing a stream, Chiles was shot in the stomach by a German sniper. Though severely wounded, the captain refused to be removed to safety until he could relay all needed intelligence. He was then moved to a hospital behind lines, where he died on Nov. 5, 1918.

For his service, Captain Chiles was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on Jan. 7, 1919. After further evaluation by military authorities, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on April 15, 1919, for “Conspicuous Gallantry.”