Day after day, he went aloft against overwhelming odds. Through skill, leadership, and relentless aggression, he helped win the air war over Guadalcanal.
Across an ice-slick bridge and into a storm of fire, he held his men together. When his section was destroyed, he carried the fight forward alone.
Thrown clear by the blast, he turned back into the fire. Amid exploding boilers and scalding steam, he chose his shipmates over his own life.
When steel ruptured and steam filled the ship, he chose to stand his ground. Holding the door against death itself, he turned seconds into saved lives.
When withdrawal meant survival, he chose to stay with the wounded. Outnumbered, out of ammunition, and surrounded, he fought to the very end.
In a single, unhesitating moment, he chose his squad over himself. His final act turned certain loss into lives saved.
When an artillery position was shattered and its crew silenced, he refused to let the gun die. Crossing open ground under fire, he turned destruction into resistance.
