Posted on 09/18/2008 8:48:43 PM PDT by Stonewall Jackson
Nathan G. Gordon, a Navy pilot who received the Medal of Honor for rescuing other aviators in World War II, and who later became Arkansas's longest-serving lieutenant governor, died Sept. 8 at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hospital in Little Rock. He was 92 and had pneumonia and other ailments.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Rest in Peace, Lt. Gordon, and thank you for your service to a grateful nation.
A sad Medal of Honor ping.
GORDON, NATHAN GREEN
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy, commander of Catalina patrol plane. Place and date: Bismarck Sea, 15 February 1944. Entered service at: Arkansas. Born: 4 September 1916, Morrilton, Ark. Citation: For extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty as commander of a Catalina patrol plane in rescuing personnel of the U.S. Army 5th Air Force shot down in combat over Kavieng Harbor in the Bismarck Sea, 15 February 1944. On air alert in the vicinity of Vitu Islands, Lt. (then Lt. j.g.) Gordon unhesitatingly responded to a report of the crash and flew boldly into the harbor, defying close-range fire from enemy shore guns to make 3 separate landings in full view of the Japanese and pick up 9 men, several of them injured. With his cumbersome flying boat dangerously overloaded, he made a brilliant takeoff despite heavy swells and almost total absence of wind and set a course for base, only to receive the report of another group stranded in a rubber life raft 600 yards from the enemy shore. Promptly turning back, he again risked his life to set his plane down under direct fire of the heaviest defenses of Kavieng and take aboard 6 more survivors, coolly making his fourth dexterous takeoff with 15 rescued officers and men. By his exceptional daring, personal valor, and incomparable airmanship under most perilous conditions, Lt. Gordon prevented certain death or capture of our airmen by the Japanese.
Wow thanks for posting that. What a man!
bttt
Here are a couple of paintings by Nicholas Trudgian of the rescue mission.
Flight Out Of Hell
Black Cat Rescue
My pleasure and thanks for the great paintings, I’ve copied them. :)
Lt. Gordon was a true hero, may he RIP.
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Thanks for the kind and unselfish example of love.
RIP.
Thanks, Sarge. That’s a great site.
Nathan Gordon and Maurice Britt.
One a democrat, one a republican.
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