Admiral Oscar V. Peterson

[bigwave]

DOD Announces Renamed Ship Will Honor Medal of Honor Recipient Admiral Oscar V. Peterson

Peterson sacrificed his own life for fellow shipmates and earned the Medal of Honor posthumously.

 

Peterson earned hero status for his actions in the Battle of the Coral Sea during the Second World War. Although he was gravely wounded, when Japanese dive bombers targeted the USS Neosho in the Pacific, he single-handedly closed the ship’s bulkhead stop valves to keep it operational.

 

 

Per the Military Hall of Honor:

Citation: For extraordinary courage and conspicuous heroism above and beyond the call of duty while in charge of a repair party during an attack on the USS Neosho by enemy Japanese aerial forces on 7 May 1942. Lacking assistance because of injuries to the other members of his repair party and severely wounded himself, Peterson, with no concern for his own life, closed the bulkhead stop valves and in so doing received additional burns which resulted in his death. His spirit of self-sacrifice and loyalty, characteristic of a fine seaman, was in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.