Louis Fred Pfeifer (June 19, 1876 – February 9, 1949)[1] was a private in the United States Marine Corps who received the Medal of Honor for risking his life to rescue several shipmates during a fire aboard USS Petrel (PG-2).
Pfeifer joined the Marine Corps from Philadelphia under the name Louis Fred Theis and served aboard the USS Petrel (PG-2) during engagements in the waters around Manila during the Spanish–American War.
When a fire broke out aboard ship and several crew members went missing while trying to extinguish the flames, Pfeifer (under the name of Theis) and several other shipmates risked their lives to rescue them.
The sail room was also pitch black; the ship's electric generator had been turned off at dawn, and no other lamps would work in the harsh atmosphere of the compartment.
When the four men did not return, Seaman Alphonse Girandy tied a rope around his waist and climbed down the ladder, finding Kessler and Flaherty, both semi-conscious, and passing them up to be hauled through the hatchway.
As McKean searched in the darkness for the two men still missing, Lieutenant Commander Roper and Cadet Lewis, the ship's generator finally came back online.