Korean War Medal of Honor Recipient. He received the award from President Harry S. Truman at the White House on August 1, 1951 for his actions as a 2nd lieutenant with Company C, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, on September 20, 1950, near Yougdungpo, Korea. As a young man, he worked briefly as a brakeman on the Illinois Central Railroad before joining the US Marine Corps in January 1944. Following his recruit and combat training, he was sent to the Pacific Theater of Operations where he was wounded during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Following the war, he remained in the US Marine Corps and became a drill instructor and later applied for officer training and was commissioned as 2nd lieutenant in September 1949. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, he was assigned to Korea and saw combat action at the Battle of Inchon, for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. He returned to the US in December 1950 and the following year he attended naval aviation training and received his wings in June 1953. After another brief tour in Korea, he returned to the US and served in several stateside assignments and was promoted to the rank of major, and retired at that rank in August 1966. He moved back to Mississippi where five years later, he died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 44. According to his wishes, he was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean. A cenotaph in his honor was erected at Highland Cemetery in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He also received the Purple Heart (with two gold stars), along with numerous other military awards. His Medal of Honor citation reads: "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a platoon leader in Company C, in action against enemy aggressor forces. Directed to attack hostile forces well dug in on Hill 85, 1st Lt. Commiskey spearheaded the assault, charging up the steep slopes on the run. Coolly disregarding the heavy enemy machine-gun and small-arms fire, he plunged on well forward of the rest of his platoon and was the first man to reach the crest of the objective. Armed only with a pistol, he jumped into a hostile machine-gun emplacement occupied by five enemy troops and quickly disposed of four of the soldiers with his automatic pistol. Grappling with the fifth, 1st Lt. Commiskey knocked him to the ground and held him until he could obtain a weapon from another member of his platoon and killed the last of the enemy gun crew. Continuing his bold assault, he moved to the next emplacement, killed two more of the enemy and then led his platoon toward the rear nose of the hill to rout the remainder of the hostile troops and destroy them as they fled from their positions. His valiant leadership and courageous fighting spirit served to inspire the men of his company to heroic endeavor in seizing the objective, and reflect the highest credit upon 1st Lt. Commiskey and the U.S. Naval Service."