Mervyn Bennion: Medal Of Honor

[515]

He was a fraduate of the Naval Academy at Annapolis. He was a distunguised naval officer and captian of the USS Virgina.
On Sunday, December 7, 1941, Mervyn was shaving in preparation to go to his mormon church a few miles away. Suddenly a report came in of the Japanese air attack. Mervyn quickly gave out the orders, "To your battlestaions!" Then ran to his own, in the conning tower of the ship. There he verified the readiness of the crews bring up ammunition, loading the guns, and prepardness of the other elements of the ships crew for their roles in the battle. In a few minutes, Japanese torpedo planes flew in and dropped three torpedos that sturck the West Virginia, tearing a great hole in the exposed hull. Then almost immediatly, bombers flew overhead and dropped their load. one in the reagion of the first blast. The second in the ammunition storage. Luckily it didnt go off or it would have gone the way of the Arizona. Which was stationed next to the West Virginia.
Mervyn walked out of his tower to inspect the damage when a splinter from on the falling bombs flew at him; tearing off the top of his stomach and hit his spine. Paralizing him from the waist down. He fell down and with nerves of steel, put his entrails back in place that had spilled out. A medic noticed him and came to his aid. He requested only the simpliest attention. He knew it was to late from him and told the medic to help the others on board. According to a crewman on board he was "happy and cheerfull to the last moment of consciousness. All the while shouting orders to his men."
The West Virginia shot down twenty japanese planes and only two men died onboard. Mervyn and a seamen. He was award the Medal Of Honor for his actions.

Good story i thought.