Bruno Peter Gaido (21 Mar 1916 – 15 June 1942) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

aviation machinist mate first class during World War II. While flying as a gunner on a

SBD Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/dive ...

during the Battle of Midway, he was shot down and captured by Imperial Japanese Navy. Gaido, along with pilot Frank O'Flaherty, was tortured and then thrown overboard to drown by the Japanese.

Early life

Bruno Gaido was born Mar 21, 1916, in Staunton, Illinois, the son of John Peter and Clementina Compagnio Gaido, who had immigrated to the United States in 1914 from Italy. His six siblings were Gidorena Irene Chiappa, Mary, Pete, Flora, Florence B., and Dominic Peter Gaido.

Naval career

Gaido enlisted in the Navy on October 11, 1940, as an apprentice seaman. He joined air squadron VS-6, which flew

dive bombers. After what was originally supposed to be a temporary assignment, he joined VS-6 permanently as an aviation machinist. VS-6 was attached to the

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

USS ''Enterprise''. On 1 February 1942, following a bombing raid on the Marshall Islands, the ''Enterprise'' came under attack by five twin-engine Japanese bombers. The lead aircraft, led by Lieutenant Kazuo Nakai, badly damaged by anti-aircraft fire, turned back towards the ''Enterprise'', attempting to ram it. Seeing this, Gaido abandoned his watch post and jumped in a nearby Dauntless parked on the flight deck, and returned fire using the rear-facing 30 caliber machine gun. His fire disabled the aircraft, causing it to narrowly miss the ''Enterprise'', only hitting parked aircraft (including the one Gaido was in) before spiraling into the sea. Upon seeing this act, Vice Admiral

William Halsey William Frederick "Bull" Halsey Jr. (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959) was an American United States Navy, Navy admiral during World War II. He is one of four officers to have attained the rank of five-star Fleet admiral (United States), f ...

spot-promoted him to aviation machinist mate first class. Gaido was a

gunner in the Battle of Midway. During the battle, he was captured by the Imperial Japanese Navy after his plane was shot down. The Japanese claimed that, under torture, he revealed details about Midway Island's defenses; however, as a carrier machinist he would have had no knowledge of details about the island.

Death

On 15 June 1942, Gaido and his pilot Frank O'Flaherty were weighted and thrown overboard Japanese destroyer Makigumo by the Japanese to drown. In April 1943, he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions aboard the Enterprise.

In popular culture

Gaido was portrayed by Nick Jonas in the 2019 film '' Midway''.

Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaido, Bruno 1916 births 1942 deaths Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) United States Navy personnel killed in World War II Battle of Midway Japanese war crimes People executed by Japan American prisoners of war in World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Japan People from Staunton, Illinois Military personnel from Illinois American people of Italian descent