MILITARY SERVICE
Military
Service
Very soon after JohnF. Kennedy
graduated from Harvard University in 1940, he volunteered for the United States
Navy, as did his brother Joe. Joe went to the European front, where he flew
fighter planes. John went to the Pacific front, where he was put in command of
PT-109 -- a torpedo boat. He was a lieutenant at the time and commander or a
12-man crew. They were charged with stopping local supply lines to the
enemy.
John Kennedy's tour went relatively smooth until the night of August 2, 1943.
That night, a Japanese destroyer intentionally rode into the side of PT-109.
The boat split in half upon impact and two of the crew died. The boat also
caught fire. Kennedy himself re-injured his back, which was giving him trouble
from a football injury already. Nonetheless, he rescued one of his men who had
been severely burnt when the ship caught on fire.
Kennedy's remaining men were already out of the boat and clinging to debris in
the water when he took his injured man and jumped in. When the sun rose, he
directed them to a nearby island that was a few miles off. When they got close
enough to the island, John took the strap of his wounded man's life jacket in
his teeth and towed him to shore thusly. There, the men set up camp and lived
on the island for seven days. On the sixth day, they were approached by natives
who agreed to relay a distress message. The next day, they were taken off the
island safely.
John F. Kennedy was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his actions in
the Pacific. He went on to be one of the most famous and influential leaders in
United States history. He led the country to space and out of a nuclear crisis.
He was also sadly short-lived.
Awards
Navy
and Marine Corps Medal
Purple
Heart
American
Defence Forces Medal
American
Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific
Campaign Medal
World
War 2 Victory Medal
Service
Very soon after JohnF. Kennedy
graduated from Harvard University in 1940, he volunteered for the United States
Navy, as did his brother Joe. Joe went to the European front, where he flew
fighter planes. John went to the Pacific front, where he was put in command of
PT-109 -- a torpedo boat. He was a lieutenant at the time and commander or a
12-man crew. They were charged with stopping local supply lines to the
enemy.
John Kennedy's tour went relatively smooth until the night of August 2, 1943.
That night, a Japanese destroyer intentionally rode into the side of PT-109.
The boat split in half upon impact and two of the crew died. The boat also
caught fire. Kennedy himself re-injured his back, which was giving him trouble
from a football injury already. Nonetheless, he rescued one of his men who had
been severely burnt when the ship caught on fire.
Kennedy's remaining men were already out of the boat and clinging to debris in
the water when he took his injured man and jumped in. When the sun rose, he
directed them to a nearby island that was a few miles off. When they got close
enough to the island, John took the strap of his wounded man's life jacket in
his teeth and towed him to shore thusly. There, the men set up camp and lived
on the island for seven days. On the sixth day, they were approached by natives
who agreed to relay a distress message. The next day, they were taken off the
island safely.
John F. Kennedy was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his actions in
the Pacific. He went on to be one of the most famous and influential leaders in
United States history. He led the country to space and out of a nuclear crisis.
He was also sadly short-lived.
Awards
Navy
and Marine Corps Medal
Purple
Heart
American
Defence Forces Medal
American
Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific
Campaign Medal
World
War 2 Victory Medal