Kennedy was Lucky PT-109 was not Reported as a Disaster
Bryan Mark Rigg
President at RIGG Wealth Management/ Historian of World War II and Holocaust Books
President John F. Kennedy and his Controversial Medal and Naval Career
Recently, people have been fascinated with the information I have discovered about the last living WWII Medal of Honor recipient Woody Williams and why his award was controversial.?Controversy has often followed military heroes and Woody isn’t really unique in having problems discovered about him and his award. Just as politics played a huge role in Woody receiving his Medal of Honor, politics also helped one of our presidents cover up some of his poor leadership and saved his military career.?John F. “Jack” Kennedy was probably saved by his father, Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., after he lost his PT-109 boat in combat when a Japanese destroyer smashed into it, sinking it within minutes.?In fact, out of the hundreds of PT-boats built, Kennedy’s was the?only one “ever rammed in the entire war” according to historian Robert Dallek.?
There were also some reports that JFK was less than competent. His superior officer, Thomas G. Warfield, wrote that Kennedy was not “a particularly good boat commander.” This assessment seemed to be also supported by the fact Jack lost his PT-Boat, which was much faster than a destroyer, possibly due to him not following proper procedures (not having his engines already fired up) and/or being situationally unaware (not hearing or seeing the 367-foot-long destroyer?Amagiri?bearing down on him).?This would be like a person sitting in a Ferrari on the salt flats of California getting hit by a school bus after watching it for 20-30 seconds coming towards him.?
Kennedy’s father, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom (1938-1940) and 1st?Chair of the U.S. Maritime Commission (1937-1938), knew he needed to get ahead of the story to protect his son. The U.S. Navy might have also wanted to get ahead of the story that their famous poster boy had had serious problems under fire, instead of performing magnificent deeds.?Despite Jack’s courageous and noble reasons for serving, he still would have obstacles.?For instance, he suffered from several medical complications with his intestines and back requiring his father “to pull some strings on his behalf” so he could enter the Navy.?Jack eventually obtained his request for sea duty and combat, when he could have safely stayed out of the war.?These facts were all noble truths to have on a resume, especially of a privileged and wealthy Harvard man.?However, Jack’s crowning achievement while an officer was unmitigated failure, not glory.??
What JFK became known for was, in truth, that he lost his ship and two of his men apparently “neglecting” his duty.?After the sinking, he did tow a wounded sailor to a nearby island and rescued his life, but in the end, the disaster started with his poor decision as the captain of the ship.?Due to these potential negative reports getting out, Joesph Kennedy informed the press about PT-109’s ordeal and spun the story positively, making it one of bravery, survival and sacrifice in favor of his son.?Soon, Jack “became headline news: KENNEDY’S SON IS HERO IN PACIFIC AS DESTROYER SPLITS HIS PT BOAT,” the?New York Times?disclosed.?The?Boston Globe?also chimed in declaring, “KENNEDY’S SON SAVES 10 IN THE PACIFIC.”??The Secretary of the Navy, James Forrestal, soon thereafter made sure Kennedy was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal writing, “For extremely heroic conduct as Commanding Officer of Motor Torpedo Boat 109 following the collision and sinking of that vessel in the Pacific War area on August 1-2, 1943.?Unmindful of personal danger…Kennedy unhesitatingly braved the difficulties and hazards of darkness to direct rescue operations…His outstanding courage, endurance and leadership contributed to the saving of several lives.” Yet, Jack could have also just as easily received a dishonorable discharge claiming he lost his ship resulting in the death of two crewmen.?In many respects, he failed in his duty.??
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Although praised as a “hero,” Jack’s felt humiliated.?A lesser naval officer without the political clout he enjoyed could have suffered tremendously from those who were not intimidated by his father or had no interest in helping a son from a celebrated family.?To Jack’s credit, he approached what happened with wry humor and humility.?One time when asked how he became a hero, he replied “It was easy.?They cut my PT boat in half.”??Another time when asked about his heroism, he would turn serious and claim, “The real heroes are not the men who returned, but those who stay out there, like plenty of them do, two of my men included.”?He was able to regain some of his pride by returning to combat duty several months later where he, this time, was able to inflict “some damage on the enemy.”?He got some payback, but, in the end, he would have never survived the disaster of PT-109 had he not come from a prominent political family.?
As historian Steven M. Gillon declares, “Without Jack’s father’s intervention with the press and contacts with the government and Navy, Jack would have never recovered from this mistake of his and possibly would have been dishonorably discharged from the service and possibly never been able to run for resident because of it.”?
As one can see with Kennedy, political considerations often make up the mathematics of certain awards, and medals and citations often do not tell the full story of what really transpired.??
For more information about the Pacific War and WWII personalities, see Flamethrower: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1734534109?pf_rd_r=DTZ8FV3E1VHNTDS2QCP5&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=61c37c38-141a-4001-9646-0898ec5a0f00&pd_rd_w=FvPxk&pd_rd_wg=qPQaZ&ref_=pd_gw_unk
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1 年Warfield's assessment was not corroborated by members of the 109 who served on the boat during the fateful mission on 1-2 August 1943, infact, at least 3 of them volunteered to serve under his subsequent command on PT 59, as did at least two of his crew on the 109 prior to the ramming by the Amagiri. None of them had anything but respect and praise for their skipper. Warfield certainly demonstrated poor judgment organizing that mission and others. His assessment is questionable.
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3 年Bryan, thanks for once again letting the truth speak for itself.
Attorney; Legal Counsel;
3 年Mark, I have great respect for your vigilance at constantly challenging people’s confirmation biases. We need more influencers who have the courage to challenge the accepted histories.
open to work
3 年Paul, I told my international students that we from the West are not inherently better people, rather our democratic freedoms and the rights and responsibilities these carry are the result of several hundreds of years of experience. We accept and believe that differences of opinion lead to the insights which enable us to enhance our social, political and economic systems. So, like you, I worry when some people, as happened here, try to deny us the freedom to exercise our democratic and intellectual freedoms and rights by engaging in a discussion on a topic of historical interest. I also worry about the effect on reasoned thought that reducing discussions to a sound bite or 280 characters has. My opinion of JFK soured when I learned of how close the world came to oblivion on several occasions during the 1950's and how Truman and Eisenhower, who were in uncharted territory, wrote the manual on superpower relations. To me, they are the real heroes of the Nuclear Age. However, this discussion deserves a day long conference and not a sound bite.
Technical Documentation Manager, Tektronix, Inc.
3 年Is it possible to have a civil conversation regarding this topic in today's hyper partisan world, taking into account the complete and utter disdain the two parties have for each other? I have always admired JFK but did so viewing his career in total and, admittedly reading books probably more friendly that not to his legacy (Manchester, Sorenson). I will say, while he may have had flaws relative to his contemporaries, he still stands head and shoulders over contemporary politicians. He served.