The thirty-fifth president of the U.S.A. was awarded the second highest non-combatant badge given by the U.S. Department of the Navy because of his selfless acts of heroism in World War II.
The said medal may be awarded to members of the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy who, while serving, singularize themselves from the ranks by acts of heroism that do not involve fighting with an enemy. It is usually awarded for deeds that involve the risk of the recipients’ lives.
Despite being initially rejected by the U.S. Army due to a back injury he sustained at Harvard, John Kennedy eventually joined the Navy after taking a five-month special program to further strengthen himself.
In the early months of 1943, JFK became the commander of PT Boat 109, which operated in the South Pacific. In August of the same year, the boat was rammed by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri in the waters in the Solomon Islands. The impact tore the boat in half and killed 2 of the 13-man crew. John Kennedy and the rest of the surviving crewmembers clung to the boat’s wreckage but after several hours, they decided to swim to an island 3.5 kilometers away. Kennedy had to tow a badly injured crewmember by clenching the strap of the man’s life jacket with his teeth. Upon making landfall, they discovered that the small island had no food or water. Kennedy then swam 4 kilometers more to the Olasana and Nauru Islands in search of food and water. He found water in Olasana and led his men there.
Kennedy then swam for the next four days along a water lane that he knew was being used by American ships. He eventually met with friendly natives, who brought his message for help to U.S. infantry patrols that promptly picked them up. For these selfless acts, John F. Kennedy was awarded with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Medal.
