(May 1944-March 1945), and, ultimately, retired from active duty on 1 March 1945. After suffering injuries in a fall, he underwent hospitalization at the U.S. Ultimately, aided by friendly natives and a coastwatcher, PT-109's surviving officers and men were rescued by PT-157 on 8 August 1943 and taken to Rendova.įollowing hospitalization in the aftermath of the loss of PT-109, during which time he received promotion to lieutenant (1 October 1943), Kennedy received further instruction at the MTBRons Training Center, Newport (December 1943-March 1944), and then the Subchaser Training Center, Miami, Florida (Mar-May 1944), where he received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for the heroism he had displayed in the rescue of survivors from his sunken PT-boat. Over the ensuing days, Kennedy managed to get his crew ashore.

McMahon, whom he personally towed back to the then-still floating wreckage of the forward part of the boat. Kennedy directed the rescue efforts of the survivors of his crew, and rescued three, one of whom was the badly burned MM2c Patrick H.

Hanami Kouhei), rammed her and cut her in half. The motor torpedo boat operated out of Tulagi, in the Solomons, and then Rendova.ĭuring a patrol in Blackett Strait on the night of 1-2 August 1943, PT-109 was sunk when the Japanese destroyer Amagiri (Lt. Traveling to the Solomon Islands, Kennedy joined MTBRon 2, and ultimately assumed command of PT-109 on 24 April 1943, relieving Ens.

(September-December 1942), Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron (MTBRon) 4 (December 1942-January 1943), where he was slated to command the motor torpedo boat PT-101, and then in the office of the Assistant Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Jacksonville, Florida (February 1943), in connection with fitting out MTBRon 14. Promoted to lieutenant (j.g.) on 1 October 1942, Kennedy underwent instruction at the Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons (MTBRons) Training Center, Newport, R.I. Naval Reserve Midshipman's School, Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill. (January-July 1942), before he attended the U.S. He served in Washington in the Office of Naval Intelligence (October 1941-January 1942) and under Commandant, Sixth Naval District, Charleston, S.C. He received an ensign's commission in the U.S. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was born on in Brookline, Mass., and graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 1940.

Eject! by Jim Tuttle