Although there were hundreds or thousands of heroes on the fateful date of Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands, a select few of 15 Navy Servicemen and Officers received the nation's highest recognition of heroism.
We are remembering in alphabetical order their bravery in three articles.
The attack claimed almost 2,500 people and devastated the U.S.
Naval fleet and airfields - leading to America’s entry into World War II.
11. Machinists Mate First Class Robert R. Scott (1915-1941) enlisted in the United States Navy on April 18, 1938 and was a member of the crew of the USS California when the Japanese attacked on Dec. 7, 1941.
Scott was assigned to a compartment containing an air compressor as part of his battle station, which became flooded as a result of the ship being hit by a torpedo.
While the remainder of the personnel evacuated the compartment, Scott stayed at his post refusing to leave and is reported to have said words to the effect, “This is my station and I will stay and give them (crew) air as long as the guns are going!”
He died doing his duty and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
In 1943 the destroyer escort USS Scott was named in his honor and, as a former student at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, the Scott House dormitory was named after him.
He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
12. Chief Watertender Peter Tomich aka Peter Herceg Tonic (1893-1941) was an ethnic Croat from Herzegovina born as Peter Herceg in Prolog near Ljubuski, during Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He migrated to the Unites States in 1913 and joined the U.S. Army in 1917.
After serving in the Army in World War I, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1919 where he initially served on the destroyer USS Litchfield.
He continued his military service and by 1941 he had become a chief watertender (petty officer rating) on board the training and target ship USS Utah. On Pearl Harbor Day the vessel was moored off Ford Island and was torpedoed by the Japanese.
As the Utah began to capsize Tomich remained below deck securing the boilers and making certain other crewmen escaped. He lost his life during this duty.
He posthumously received the Medal of Honor awarded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943, which was placed on display at the Navy’s Senior Enlist Academy in Newport, Rhode Island - named Tomich Hall in his honor.
In May 2006 the decoration was presented to his family on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in the southern Adriatic City of Split in Croatia 64 years after it was awarded to him in 1943.
The destroyer escort Tomich was named in his honor as well as the Steam Propulsion Training Facility at Service School Command Great Lakes and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Headquarters Conference Room in Washington, D.C.
13. Captain Franklin Van Valkenburgh (1888-1941) was a Navy officer who was the last captain of the USS Arizona that exploded and sank entombing 880 crew members with only 316 survivors on Dec. 7, 1941.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, into a prominent family that included a Congressman, Franklin was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated on June 4, 1909.
After serving on several ships and earning post graduate degrees in steam engineering, he served on the USS Rhode Island in World War I as the battleship engineering officer.
Following WWI, he served on the USS Minnesota as engineering officer.
After once again serving as an instructor at Annapolis until 1925, he was stationed on the USS Maryland until he reported for duty in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
He rose through the chain of command and was selected to attend the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
After serving as inspector of naval material at the New York Navy Yard, he returned to sea as commanding officer of the USS Melville from 1936-1938 and then served as inspector of material for the 3rd Naval District from August 6, 1938 to January 22, 1941.
On February 5, 1941 he was assigned as the commanding officer of the USS Arizona that served as the flagship of Battleship Division I based primarily at Pearl Harbor.
On the 6th day of December, the ship returned to berth F-7 alongside Ford Island.
When the Japanese attacked the next morning, Von Valkenburgh ran from his cabin to the navigation bridge where he was exposed to enemy fire but began to direct his ship's defense by telephone, while ignoring requests to move to a safer location.
When a violent explosion shook the ship's bridge, Captain Von Valkenburgh was thrown to the deck and he or his body were never seen again, although his Annapolis class ring was retrieved.
He posthumously received the Medal of Honor and in 1945 the USS Von Valkenburgh was named in his honor.
14. Seaman First Class James R. Ward (1921-1941) enlisted in the United States Navy on November 25, 1940 and, after going through basic training, was assigned to the USS Oklahoma.
On December 7, 1941, the battleship took three torpedoes soon after the early morning attack began.
It became apparent that the Arizona would capsize as she began to list badly, and the order was given to abandon ship.
In the darkened conditions after all electrical power was cut off, Seaman Ward remained in a turret (small tower) holding a flashlight so the remainder of the turret crew could see to escape, while sacrificing his own life.
For his heroism he posthumously received the Medal of Honor. In 1943, the destroyer escort USS J. Richard Ward was named in his honor and memory.
15. Commander Cassin Young (1894-1942) was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy on June 3, 1916.
A career naval officer he served his country in several capacities on both ocean vessels and submarines and also taught at Annapolis.
After he was promoted to the rank of Commander, he commanded Submarine Division Seven and was stationed at Naval Base New London in Groton, Connecticut.
Young was in command of the repair ship USS Vestal when the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941. It was badly damaged by bombs and the explosion of the nearby battleship, USS Arizona.
He organized offensive action and personally took charge of one of the ship's anti-aircraft guns. When the Vestal’s magazine exploded Young was thrown overboard but swam back to the ship, took command, got the ship underway and then beached the vessel, thus ensuring her later salvage.
For his heroism he was recognized with the Medal of Honor.
Unfortunately, Commander Young would not survive World War II.
After being assigned command of the heavy cruiser USS San Francisco in 1942, he was killed during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal while his ship engaged the Japanese battleship Hiei. He was killed by enemy shells of a superior Japanese force.
His Medal of Honor is on display at the Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis.
In 1943 the destroyer USS Cassin Young was named in his honor. It has been restored and is now permanently berthed at the Charleston Naval Yard in Boston Harbor across from the famous wood ship the USS Constitution.
Although only five of the 15 Medal of Honor honorees survived December 7, 1941, they were just a small number of the military personnel and civilians who gave their lives in the first major attack of World War II.
(This is part three of three articles honoring the 15 Naval members who won the Medal of Honor for heroism on Dec. 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor.)
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Jerry Summers
(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com)