Rarreick (also spelled Raerick) was born in Germany in 1845 and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1851.  On 12 November 1866 he enlisted in Company L, 8th U.S. Cavalry in Cincinnati, Ohio.   He was then sent west to fight in the Indian Campaigns.  On 14 October 1869, the Company was engaged in a battle at Lyry Creek, AZ where he was cited for his heroic action.  The Medal of Honor Citation, dated 3 March 1870, read “Gallantry in action with Indians.”  On 12 November 1871 he was discharged  and returned to KY where he married Sara Emily Shotwell and raised 12 children.  Rarreick died on 17 July 1902 and is buried in Bethel Cemetery where a headstone, supplied by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, was dedicated on 7June 2014.

Rarreick’s membership in the Legion of Valor is sponsored by Professor Kenneth D. Fryer, a 4th generation U. S. Marine and a friend of the Legion of Valor.