Samuel Glenn Fuqua

Samuel Glenn Fuqua

Samuel Glenn Fuqua (born October 15, 1899 in Laddonia , Missouri , † January 27, 1987 in Decatur (Georgia) ) was a Rear Admiral in the US Navy and holder of the Medal of Honor . This was awarded to him for his actions in the Japanese attack on his ship on December 7, 1941 in Pearl Harbor .

Life

Samuel entered the United States Naval Academy in July 1919 . He had previously spent a year at the University of Missouri and served in the Army during World War I. After completing his training in June 1923, he served on the battleships USS Arizona and USS Mississippi and the destroyer USS Macdonough . He then received a land use in San Francisco, California from 1930 to 1932. During the mid-1930s, Fuqua served on other ships and coastal stations and was then stationed in the Far East as the commanding officer (CO) of the mine clearance boat USS Bittern from 1937 to 1939 .

After serving at Naval Station Great Lakes , a training facility in Illinois , he returned to the USS Arizona in 1941 to serve as a ship safety officer . In this capacity he was also on board during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Although he was temporarily unconscious after a bomb that had struck the stern of the ship, he subsequently led fire-fighting and rescue operations. After the ship exploded, he was the oldest surviving officer in charge of rescuing her remaining crew members. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his brave actions during the attack above and beyond the call of duty .

During 1942 Fuqua was stationed on the cruiser USS Tuscaloosa . From 1943 to 1944 he held a land use in Guantanamo Bay , Cuba, and then attended Naval War College until 1945 . Then Captain Fuqua was from January to August 1945 operations officer in the Seventh US Fleet. After the war he served in other staff positions and from 1949 to 1950 he commanded the destroyer USS Dixie . After serving as Chief of Staff with the Eighth Naval District , he retired from active service in July 1953. Due to his achievements, he had reached the rank of Rear Admiral by this time.

death

He died on January 27, 1987, in Decatur, Georgia, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. His grave is in section 59, subsection 485.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Rear Adm. Samuel G. Fuqua, USN, (1899-1987) . In: Online Library of Selected Images . Naval History & Heritage Command , Department of the Navy. December 12, 2000. Retrieved November 4, 2006.
2. ^ Samuel Glenn Fuqua: Rear Admiral, United States Navy . Arlington National Cemetery site. July 8, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2010.