William Ray Flores was a

seaman apprentice Constructionman Apprenticevariation Fireman Apprenticevariation Airman Apprenticevariation Seaman Apprenticeinsignia Collarinsignia Seaman apprentice is the second lowest enlisted rate in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and ...

in the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

. SA Flores was posthumously honored for heroic behavior during a 1980 ship collision. In November 2011, the Coast Guard selected Flores as the namesake of the third of its

Sentinel class cutters The Sentinel-class cutter, also known as Fast Response Cutter due to its program name, is part of the United States Coast Guard's Integrated Deepwater System Program, Deepwater program. At it is similar to, but larger than the lengthened 1980s- ...

Life

Flores was born and raised in

Carlsbad, New Mexico Carlsbad ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Eddy County, New Mexico, Eddy County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city population was 32,238. Carlsbad is centered at the intersection of U.S. R ...

. By the time he was in high school, he and his family moved to

Benbrook, Texas Benbrook is a town located in the southwestern corner of Tarrant County, Texas, and a suburb of Fort Worth. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 21,234, reflecting an increase of 1,026 from the 20,208 counted in the 2000 Cen ...

. With his parents' permission, Flores left Western Hills High School in Benbrook early in order to serve in the

. Having been out of boot camp for only one year, Flores was stationed aboard USCGC ''Blackthorn''. As ''Blackthorn'' left port from

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

on January 28, 1980, the 180-foot seagoing buoy tender collided with the tanker, SS ''Capricorn'', as the tanker entered the bay. The 18-year-old Flores stayed aboard ''Blackthorn'' while it sank. He threw life jackets to seamen who were struggling in the water without life jackets. He strapped open the life jacket locker, so that the remaining life jackets were released and floated upwards to the men who were floundering in the water while the vessel sank. Flores then tried to aid wounded seamen who were still aboard. The collision has been described as the worst peacetime disaster in the Coast Guard's history. Seaman Apprentice Flores helped save twenty-three (23) of his crewmates, at the cost of his own life.

Honors

In 2000, twenty years after the collision, Flores was formally honored for his bravery. Flores was posthumously awarded the

Coast Guard Medal The Coast Guard Medal is a decoration of the United States military that is awarded to any service member who, while serving in any capacity with the United States Coast Guard, distinguishes themselves by heroism not involving actual conflict with ...

. The Coast Guard Medal is the highest non-combat bravery award of the United States Coast Guard.

Coast Guard Medal Citation

In November 2011, the Coast Guard named its third Sentinel class cutter USCGC ''William Flores''. All the vessels in this class are to be named after heroic members of the Coast Guard. "Your Son is Gone," was the last of five Coast Guard marching cadences nominated for Coast Guard Boot Camp's Top Cadence of 2012. The cadence chronicles the last surviving minutes of Seaman Apprentice William R. Flores aboard Coast Guard Cutter ''Blackthorn'' January 28, 1980. St. Petersburg, and the Coast Guard, each held commemorative events to mark the 40th anniversary of Flores' heroic act, in late January 2020. A recently completed life size concrete statue of Flores was unveiled at the ceremony. It will be placed offshore, near the site of the sinking. In May 2021, Flores was awarded the

Texas Legislative Medal of Honor The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor, commonly referred to as the Texas Medal of Honor, is the highest military decoration that can be conferred to a service member of the Texas Military Forces. It can also be conferred to service members of the ...

for his actions on USCGC Blackthorn. File:USCG William Flores on the day of her naming ceremony.jpeg, USCGC ''William Flores'' on the day of her naming ceremony File:USCGC William Flores WPC 1103 Coat of Arms.jpg, Cutter's coat of arms with symbolism honoring SA Flores File:Alpha Co. 124 Platoon Photo.jpg, Flores' Company Photo (Far left, 2nd to last row)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Flores, William Ray 1961 births 1980 deaths United States Coast Guard enlisted Recipients of the Coast Guard Medal People from Carlsbad, New Mexico Recipients of the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor