The Incredible Recipients of the Navy Cross

By Avi Heiligman

For many centuries, militaries around the world have awarded medals, ribbons and decorations to those that served with distinction and bravery on the battlefield. Over a hundred years ago, the Navy Cross was instituted by an act of Congress to award those in the naval service who distinguished themselves with extraordinary heroism. The first recipients were awarded the medal for their service during World War I, and in 1942, Congress made the Navy Cross eligible only for combat recognition. Today, it is the second highest military decoration for sailors and marines after the Medal of Honor. Here are some of the incredible stories of those awarded the Navy Cross.

The Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8) flying off of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet became famous for their sacrifice during the Battle of Midway. Lieutenant Commander John Waldron from South Dakota led fifteen Douglas TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bombers to search for enemy ships on June 4, 1942. The squadron was unescorted by fighter planes, and Devastator torpedo bombers were obsolete in the face of Japanese fighters and anti-aircraft fire. Waldron found the enemy aircraft carriers, but the American planes were no match for the Japanese Zeros. All fifteen planes were shot down with only Ensign George Gay surviving the action. Other American planes went on the attack, and soon four Japanese carriers were at the bottom of the ocean. For his actions, Waldron posthumously received the Navy Cross and the destroyer, USS Waldron (DD-699), was named after the naval aviator.

Not all of VT-8 was present on the Hornet at Midway, as some fliers were being refitted with the new Grumman TBF-1 Avenger torpedo bomber. Five of these planes were also shot down during the Battle of Midway. The rest of the squadron’s detachment was in Pearl Harbor during the battle and were sent to the carrier USS Saratoga. These planes were now the reconstituted VT-8. Jewish Ensign Aaron Katz from Shaker Heights, Ohio, was part of this detachment and was noted for bravery while flying off the Saratoga. Despite having to endure his commander’s anti-Semitic rhetoric and insults, Katz became one of the squadron’s best pilots.

On August 24, 1942, VT-8 assisted in sinking a Japanese light carrier during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons. Katz’s Navy Cross citation reads in part, “Ensign Katz pressed home his attack through a bursting hail of fire from hostile anti-aircraft batteries. He contributed to the relentless fighting spirit and aggressive courage which enabled his squadron to score one certain hit and two estimated hits on an enemy aircraft carrier. His superb airmanship and unyielding devotion to duty aided greatly in the defeat of a persistent foe.”

After the Saratoga was torpedoed, the squadron was stationed at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal and often operated only one plane at a time due to maintenance issues. They were vital in fending off Japanese attacks. The Squadron was disbanded when it returned to the United States.

Aaron Katz wasn’t the only the Jewish serviceman to receive the Navy Cross for actions on August 24, 1942. The 1st Marine Division under Major General Alexander Vandergrift had been in a tough fight with the Japanese fighting on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The tropical jungles proved to be a tough learning ground for the previously untested marines. Even though the marines were low on supplies, including food and medical supplies, they had captured the valuable Henderson Field airfield and were determined to keep it at all costs.

Private First Class Jack Sugarman and the rest of Company D, First Battalion, Seventh Marines, 1st Marine Division were defending the airfield in a foxhole the night of August 24. Born in Media, Pennsylvania, Sugarman was a member of the Marine Corps Reserve, and he was assigned to a four-man machine gun unit. The small group was facing a numerically superior enemy. The Japanese attacked in a mass head-on assault, and Sugarman and the other three marines had to deal with their malfunctioning machine gun. It had to be repaired four times all while being subjected to intense enemy gunfire. Another member of his unit, Edmund D’Orsogna, recalled the fight that night: “They kept coming all night with bombs … flares … everything. Men were getting shot, blown apart, all over the place. In the morning, reinforcements finally arrived, allowing us to rest. Other than the machine gun jamming a few times, we held our own.”

Sugarman’s actions that night saved the lives of nine officers and marines, and he is credited with many of the 165 Japanese soldiers killed during the assault. In addition, the position and the airfield were kept in American hands, and for his actions, Sugarman received the Navy Cross.

These men are just a few of the many who were decorated for bravery in battle. Their Navy Cross medals are a testament of their heroics on the battlefield, and while they are rarely talked about today, their stories is history not be forgotten.

Considering how much Americans think about retirement, it’s sometimes hard to realize what a new concept that phase of life really is. It wasn’t too long ago that you worked right up until you died. Or, if you were lucky, you took good care of your kids at the beginning of their lives – then you sent them off to work in the coal mine or bobbin factory at age eight and hoped they would return the favor for a couple of years at the end of yours.

Today, Americans who want to spend retirement playing in the Florida sun instead of clipping supermarket coupons face a decades-long challenge. How do you cobble together an adequate income from the three-legged stool of social security, employer-sponsored pensions, and personal savings? Some succeed; others fail. Most manage to somehow muddle through. (As the Greek philosopher Mediocrates once said, “Ehhhh . . . that’s good enough.”)

Americans aren’t alone in struggling with how to support our seniors after their working years. Right now, France is torn over pension benefits, and taxes play a big part in that debate.

France currently has 42 different retirement systems tied to different companies, unions, and professions. What they