Carl Jerrold Peterson (31 October 1936 2 April 1969) was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

and the

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of Patrol River Boat Squadron 57. He was killed in action in Vietnam and buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. In 1975, the United States Navy named the in his memory.

Biography

Carl Jerrold Peterson was born 31 October 1936 to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Carl A. Peterson, USN, Ret. (1908 1996) of

Tuxedo Park, New York Tuxedo Park is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Orange County, New York, United States. Its population was 623 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area as well as the la ...

and Miriam C. Redden-Peterson (1909 2010), daughter of

Connecticut State senator The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Senat ...

William A. Redden. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

and was commissioned an Ensign in June 1958. According to his Academy Yearbook and the Bridgeport Post, he was from

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

and lived at 388 Midland for much of his youth. He was said to "play a mean attack on the

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

field" and he was a valuable member of the crew of the USNA's yacht, ''Freedom''. Lieutenant Commander Peterson then served successive tours at sea in and . In 1962, he was assigned to the office of the

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

, and in 1964 to the staff of Commander Middle East Force. From 1966 to 1968 Lieutenant Commander Peterson served as Operations Officer aboard and participated in eight major amphibious assaults against enemy forces in Vietnam. Lieutenant Commander Peterson was credited with developing the command and control techniques for debarking troops simultaneously by air and sea amphibious transports successfully employed in these assaults. In December 1968, Lieutenant Commander Peterson volunteered for duties in Vietnam and subsequently commanded Patrol River Boat Squadron 57 operating in the waterways of the

Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( vi, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit=Nine Dragon River Delta or simply vi, Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, lit=Mekong River Delta, label=none), also known as the Western Region ( vi, Miền Tây, links=no) or South-weste ...

. According to the US Navy, Carl Peterson was singularly responsible for the success of many joint quick reaction operations designed to draw out and destroy enemy forces. On 2 April 1969, while embarked in an assault support patrol boat transiting the

Vàm Cỏ Đông River The Vàm Cỏ Đông River ( vi, Sông Vàm Cỏ Đông) is a river of Vietnam. It flows through the provinces of Tây Ninh Tây Ninh () is a provincial city in south-eastern Vietnam. It is the capital of Tây Ninh Province, which encompasses t ...

to his command center in , Lieutenant Commander Peterson was mortally wounded when an enemy rocket detonated against his vessel. He was buried at

Awards and honors

His awards include the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

with

Combat Distinguishing Device Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

(awarded posthumously) and the

Navy Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

with Combat Distinguishing Device. USS ''Peterson'' was named in his honor. His name is listed on the

Vietnam Veterans Memorial The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a U.S. national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring service members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War. The site is dominated by two black granite walls engraved with the names of those s ...

Panel 27W, Row 1.

References

External links

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund – Carl J. Peterson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Carl Jerrold 1936 births 1969 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from Bridgeport, Connecticut People from Orange County, New York United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy personnel killed in the Vietnam War