World War II Honoree

Lofton R. Henderson

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Coronado, California

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: MAJOR. HE WAS A UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS NAVAL PILOT, WHO FLEW THE SBD-2 DAUNTLESS DIVE BOMBER IN THE PACIFIC THEATER. SERVED AS COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE MARINE SCOUT-BOMBING SQUADRON TWO HUNDRED FORTY-ONE ‘VMSB-241’ NICKNAMED: ‘THE SONS OF SATAN’, MARINE AIR GROUP TWENTY-TWO, SECOND MARINE AIRCRAFT WING, MIDWAY NAVAL AIR STATION. WHILE LEADING HIS SQUADRON IN A GLIDE/DIVE-BOMBING ATTACK ON THE JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER HIRYU, HIS BOMBER WAS SHOT DOWN BY JAPANESE FIGHTERS, CRASHING INTO THE OCEAN. ON THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 1942, HE WAS KILLED IN ACTION DURING THIS COMBAT ENGAGEMENT WITH THE JAPANESE NAVAL ARMED FORCES IN THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY. REPORTED AS MISSING IN ACTION, LOST AT SEA SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 1943 AND MEMORIALIZED IN THE TABLETS OF THE MISSING, HONOLULU NATIONAL MEMORIAL CEMETERY OF THE PACIFIC, ‘PUNCHBOWL’ HAWAII. IN MEMORY AND HONOR OF THIS NAVAL AVIATOR, THE JAPANESE AIRFIELD ON GUADALCANAL WAS NAMED, HENDERSON FIELD. THE DESTROYER, USS HENDERSON DD-785 WHEN COMMISSIONED WAS ALSO NAMED IN HIS HONOR. DECORATIONS AND CITATIONS: COMBAT ACTION RIBBON, AMERICAN DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL AND THE WWII VICTORY MEDAL. RECIPIENT OF THE NAVY CROSS AND PURPLE HEART POSTHUMOUSLY. THE NAVY CROSS WAS AWARDED TO THE MAJOR FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM AND OUTSTANDING COURAGE DURING ACTION AGAINST ENEMY JAPANESE NAVAL ARMED FORCES AT MIDWAY. THIS AMERICAN PATRIOT WAS ALSO AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART, WHO SO GALLANTLY GAVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS COUNTRY.