(later Supreme Court Justice) Byron White Navy report on the sinking of the PT 109 written by Lt. Documents from JFK’s US Navy service file.Heavenly Mist, an oil painting of the collision of PT 109 and the Japanese destroyer Amagiri by an official US Navy artist.

JFK’s dog tags, courtesy of Senator and Mrs.

Kennedy's own scrapbook of snapshots showing him and his young comrades in arms.

The Navy and Marine Corps Medal and the Purple Heart Kennedy received for his heroism in the rescue of his crew.

The exhibit reflects a formative period of JFK's life, an experience he shared with so many other young men of his generation, and an experience that shaped their characters and the character of our nation for much of the remainder of the 20th century. After four days on the island, with the help of a message on a coconut carried by local islanders to an Australian spying on the Japanese they were finally rescued on August 8th. All eleven survivors made it to the island after having spent a total of fifteen hours in the water. Kennedy towed injured crew member McMahon 4 miles to a small island to the southeast. The entire crew was thrown into the dark waters. Traveling at 40 knots, the destroyer cut PT 109 in two. On August 2, 1943, as PT 109 was running silent to avoid detection it was struck by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri.

The role of the small but fast PT boats was to attack the Japanese shipping known as the 'Tokyo Express' that supplied Japanese troops in the islands, and to support the US Army and Marine Corps attacking the Japanese on shore. To commemorate the 60th anniversary year of the end of World War II, this special exhibit is a tribute to all the enlisted men, women and junior officers who, like Kennedy, went in harm’s way to serve their nation.Ĭommanding the Patrol Torpedo Craft (PT) USS PT 109, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, John Kennedy and his crew participated in the early campaigns in the Allies’ long struggle to roll back the Japanese from their conquests throughout the island chains of the Pacific Ocean. Many young Americans of all backgrounds volunteered for military service in 1941, including young John F.

Call of war 1942 rank