Pearl Harbor Medal of Honor Recipients

On the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor,we take a look at five men awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions on that day.

On Dec. 7, 1941, shortly before 8 a.m.,Japanese fighter planes launched an assault on theUnited States Naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than 2,400 Americans – military personnel and civilians – lost their lives in the surprise attack, spurringthe U.S. to enter World War II and President Franklin D. Roosevelt to proclaim Dec. 7 “a date which will live in infamy.”

For distinguishing themselves during the Pearl Harbor attack and risking their lives “above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States,” 15 American service members were awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration awarded by the U.S. government. Here are five of those heroic men.

Mervyn S. Bennion was born in Vernon, Utah in 1857 to a family of cattle ranchers. Bennion graduated 3rd in his class from the U.S. Naval Academy. A veteran of World War I, he assumed command of the USS West Virginia five months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. During the attack, Bennion was hit by shrapnel when his command deck was blown apart. He refused first aid and bled to death while still commanding his crew. His official Medal of Honor citation states, “As Commanding Officer of the USS West Virginia, after being mortally wounded, Capt. Bennion evidenced apparent concern only in fighting and saving his ship, and strongly protested against being carried from the bridge.” The destroyer USS Bennion was named in his honor, and it was christened by his widow Louise Bennion in 1943.

Originally published December 2010