American Valor Quarterly Issue 10 - Summer 2013 | Page 9

Audie Murphy Award
For distinguished service in the United States military during World War II

The Heroes of Midway
Represented by:
Captain John Crawford - Sergeant Ed Fox - Major Albert Grasselli - CPO Henry Kudzik - Rear Admiral Donald Showers
December 7, 1941. A date which will live in infamy.
At 7:48 AM, local time, aerial forces from the Empire of Japan began their attack on the U.S. Naval base at
Pearl Harbor, devastating the Pacific fleet and killing more than 2,400 Americans. The U.S. fleet was
crippled, with four American battleships sunk and three heavily damaged and nearly 200 aircraft destroyed.
Yet, amid the destruction, all was not lost. At sea during the attack were the Pacific fleet’s three aircraft
carriers – Lexington, Saratoga, and Enterprise – a moment of fortune that would have a major impact on the
course of the war in the Pacific the United States now found itself fighting.
In the coming days, weeks, and months, the Japanese continued their onslaught, advancing on Allied
strongholds across the Pacific.
Reeling, the Allies desperately rallied their forces. On April 18, 1942, the Americans struck back as Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle led a surprise raid on targets
within mainland Japan, providing a tremendous boost in morale across America.
More importantly, the Doolittle Raid shocked the Japanese military hierarchy, causing them to reevaluate their defensive position. To prevent further
attacks on the main islands, it was decided that an expansion of the Japanese defensive perimeter was needed. At the same time, the destruction of the
American carriers prov