LT. KENNEDY AWARDED NAVY & MARINE CORPS MEDAL
Solomon Islands (JFK+50) On June 12, 1944, Lt. j.g. John F. Kennedy was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal in honor of the courage he exhibited as skipper of the PT109.
The patrol boat was sliced in two by a Japanese destroyer while on duty in the waters of the Solomon Islands. Two of his crewmen were killed, but JFK, who was badly injured, was able to round up the survivors and have them climb on the remnants of the 109.
The skipper directed them to swim to a nearby island, but one of his sailors was so badly burned JFK had to personally tow him through the water with the strap of a life preserver clinched between his teeth.
JFK, along with two crewmen, received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. According to William Doyle, while the medal is for "lifesaving" it is not considered a "combat decoration."
The final citation for JFK's medal reads...
"For extremely heroic conduct as Commanding Officer of Motor Torpedo Boat 109 following the collision and sinking of that vessel in the Pacific War Theater on August 1-2, 1943.
His outstanding courage, endurance and leadership contributed to the saving of several lives and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."
SOURCE
"PT 109, An American Epic of War, Survival, and the Destiny of John F. Kennedy," by William Doyle, William Morrow-Harper Collins Publishers, 2015.
