Like his older brother Louis, Henry Drexler attended the United States Naval Academy, graduating in June 1924.

[2] In mid-October of that year, while Trenton (CL-11) was conducting gunnery drills in the Norfolk area, powder bags in her forward turret exploded, killing or injuring every member of the gun crew.

During the ensuing fire Ensign Drexler and Boatswain's Mate First Class George Robert Cholister attempted to dump powder charges into the immersion tank before they detonated but failed.

Drexler's official Medal of Honor citation reads: For extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession on the occasion of a fire on board the U.S.S.

At 3:35 on the afternoon of 20 October 1924, while the Trenton was preparing to fire trial installation shots from the two 6-inch guns in the forward twin mount of that vessel, 2 charges of powder ignited.