US Navy

Commander of PT-109.

Lieutenant (Junior Grade) John F. Kennedy, USN, as commander of motor torpedo boat PT-109, operating out of Tulagi. In August, 1943, Kennedy's boat was rammed and cut in half by a Japanese destroyer. The PT (or its halves) stayed (surprisingly) afloat for some time; but the crew were eventually forced to swim to a neighbouring islet, from which they were rescued. In the course of this incident, Kennedy aggravated an old back injury, the effects of which still seriously affected his health in later years - all the way to the White House. Kennedy recovered sufficiently to enjoy a further career in command to the end of the war, which he finished as a highly decorated war hero. When asked how he had become a war hero, he is said to have answered, "It was easy - they cut my PT boat in half !". Best regards, JR.