Captain Ivan Luke, U.S. Coast Guard (Retired)
In winter 1997 in the Gulf of Mexico, I saw a Coast Guard coxswain maneuver an old, waterlogged 26-foot motor surfboat alongside a shrimp boat at night in sea state 6 conditions, barely avoiding the wildly swinging outriggers, to save the lives of three elderly, hypothermic fishermen only seconds before the boat sank.
Commander Lawrence Chicchelly, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)
On board the NOAA ship Discoverer in March 1994 in the mid-Pacific, I observed Boatswain Matt Ofsthus and Able Seaman Lisa Glover fight with a great white shark to save our 19-year-old stewardess during a swim call. In a rigid-hull inflatable boat, Matt held her upper torso against the shark’s pull while Lisa hit the shark repeatedly on the head with an oar. The shark eventually severed the stewardess’s leg at the femur, but Matt and Lisa applied a tourniquet and saved her life.
Lieutenant Commander John F. Kruse, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)
My ship was deployed to Malta in the late 1960s providing repair services to the Sixth Fleet in Valletta Harbor. Rumors spread throughout the ship concerning our captain’s wife—“She was in a car accident,” “she was hospitalized,” etc. He had all officers assemble in the wardroom and with grace and dignity told us his wife was an alcoholic and was admitted to a recovery facility. It took a special courage to do that in those days, but that was the essence of the man.
Lieutenant Commander Joe Blinsky, U.S. Coast Guard
On 10 May 2021, I witnessed the crew of the USCGC Maui (WPB-1304) display immeasurable courage while escorting the USS Georgia (SSGN-729) through the Strait of Hormuz. Amid 13 rapidly approaching Iranian speedboats, these unsung heroes courageously fired more than 30 warning shots to deter the threat and ensure the safety of U.S. naval vessels.
Commander Chris Webster, U.S. Navy (Retired)
During an underway replenishment at night in fall 1990, the USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) was alongside the USS Camden (AOE-2) in the Indian Ocean. Lieutenant Kim Parker was the officer of the deck and gave a rudder order for 2 degrees, but the helmsman swung 20 degrees toward the AOE. Never losing his cool, Parker ordered an emergency breakaway and all back full in the same breath. The ships missed colliding by about 10 feet.
Captain Bill Bray, U.S. Navy (Retired)
In May 1991, my ship, the USS Cleveland (LPD-7), was doing an underway replenishment in rough seas. The phone-and-distance line was tied off to give the linehandlers a break. When it started “singing,” the boatswain’s mate told his team to move behind the chaff locker for safety. After ensuring their safety, the boatswain’s mate started back but did not make it before the line parted, cutting through his lifejacket and crushing his throat. He died a few hours later, leaving behind a wife and two young children.
Sean Sullivan, Associate Professor, U.S. Naval War College
In October 1996, during search-and-rescue operations for a crashed SH-60 helicopter in the Persian Gulf, the number of casualties in the water required HMC Patrick Quill to board the USS Jarrett’s RHIB, from which he led rescue swimmers and boat crew in life-saving triage, first aid, rescue, and evacuation for all nine survivors.
Norman Henry Meyers Jr.
My father, Marine Corps Provate First Class Norman Meyers, was a gunner on board the USS Intrepid (CV-11) on 25 November 1944. As an attack began, the gun crews were ordered to shoot at the sun, as Japanese planes were using the sun as a shield to cover their actions. Two Kamikazes got through the barrage and hit the ship, causing severe damage and multiple deaths and injuries. My father was severely wounded, and if it hadn’t been for one of the other Marines in the gun tub carrying him across the severely damaged ablazed flight deck to the sick bay, he would have bled to death. The other Marine was PFC Edward Quimby, and he deserves the highest recognition for bravery.
William Bentz
I have read much about the Guadalcanal Campaign and would suggest that Coast Guardsman Douglas Munro’s action during the evacuation of Marines during the Second Battle of Matanikau would be one person to consider. During the rescue operation, Munro maneuvered his craft to shield Marines being picked up and helped tow a stuck craft from the beach. He was killed during this action and was awarded the Medal of Honor, the only Coast Guardsman to be so honored.
