John Thomas Eversole (April 17, 1915 – June 4, 1942) graduated 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 ...

in 1938, and after duty at sea received aviation training. On May 7, 1941, Eversole joined Torpedo Squadron 6 (VT-6) in , and with many others of his squadron, gave his life for his country in the opening phases of the

Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy under Adm ...

4 June 1942, in an attack on

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

carriers made through heavy opposition. Lieutenant (junior grade) Eversole's determination in this action was posthumously recognized with the award of the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

. On February 18, 1942, Eversole had to ditch his

TBD Devastator The Douglas TBD Devastator was an American torpedo bomber of the United States Navy. Ordered in 1934, it first flew in 1935 and entered service in 1937. At that point, it was the most advanced aircraft flying for the Navy and possibly for any na ...

torpedo bomber sixty miles from the ''Enterprise'', after he became disoriented and ran out of fuel. He was successfully picked up by one of his Task Forces destroyers the next day.

Namesake

The destroyer escort was the first ship named in his honor. She was sunk during The Battle of Leyte Gulf on March 21, 1944. In 1946 a second ship, the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

was named in his honor.

References

External links

: 1915 births 1942 deaths United States Navy officers United States Naval Academy alumni Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Navy personnel killed in World War II People from Pocatello, Idaho {{US-navy-bio-stub