Jfk Expedition

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After graduating Harvard Kennedy and his older brother joined the Navy. Joseph Kennedy became a flyer and was immediately sent to Europe. On the other hand, Kennedy had difficulties getting accepted into the Navy due to his health and back problems. With the help of Mr. Kennedy, John Kennedy was eventually accepted and admitted into the Navy as a Lieutenant and was assigned to the South Pacific as a commander of a patrol torpedo (PT) boat, PT-109. Kennedy and his crew of twelve men were on a mission to stop Japanese ships from delivering supplies to their soldiers. On August 1943, fifteen Patrol Torpedo boats set out to damage the Japanese Navy supply convoy, also known as the “Tokyo Express.” Thirty torpedoes were fired, but no damage was …show more content…

Due to the heavy seas, the canoe got flooded and they barely made it back to Naru. The next morning, on August 7th, eight islanders came to Naru. Bringing food and instructions from local Allied coast watcher, Lt. A. Reginald Evans, Australian Navy, telling Kennedy to come to Evan’s post. The islanders hid Kennedy in the canoe under a pile of palm branches and traveled to Gomu Island in the Blackett Strait waterway. By this time Evans had already sent a rescue mission for Kennedy and his crew. On the night of August 7th the rescue boats PT-157 and PT-171 picked up Kennedy first so he could guide them to the rest of the crew. On August 8th the PT rescue boats arrived at Olasana Island. Kennedy had to yell out for his crew as they were all asleep from exhaustion. The rescue continued to go on without any mishaps or accidents, the men of PT-109 arrived at the U.S. base in Rendova Island on August 8th. Upon rescuing, Kennedy received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his leadership and courage, and a Purple Heart for the injuries he acquired during the incident. Kennedy later found out his older brother Joseph was killed during action while piloting a British Mosquito night fighter during a top secret operation (nps.gov). Years later the press asked Kennedy how he became a hero, his response, “It was involuntary, they sank my

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