World War II Honoree

Edward L. Hart

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Bloomington, Idaho

Honored By

Richard, Paul, Patricia, and Barbara

Relationship

His Sons and Daughters

Soon after graduating from the University of Utah with a Rhodes Scholarship and the Univ. of Michigan with a Masters Degree, he began his service in World War II. It was 4 August 1942. His first assignment was to the Naval Japanese Language School at Boulder Co. for a year-long intensive course of study to achieve proficiency in reading, writing, and conversation in Japanese. On June 15, 1943, after one year at Boulder he was commissioned Ensign, USN. His next assignment took him to the Naval Intelligence Unit in Washington, D.C. For the next two years he worked top secret and top secret--Ultra materials analyzing decoded Japanese messages. He had access to intelligence summaries sent daily to the President and Joint Chiefs. (Note: It was this Naval Intelligence Unit that in June 1942 broke the Japanese secret code resulting in the Naval Battle at Midway which is credited with changing the tide of the war in the Pacific to America's advantage.) Due to the highly secret nature, workers were not to keep diaries nor say anything about their work in correspondence. After two years in Washington, D.C. he was ordered to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for similar top secret intelligence work. While traveling to this assignment the war in the Pacific ended with the unconditional surrender of Japan. He volunteered for duty with the U.S. Strategic Bomb Survey to help assess physical damage to Japan during the war. By the end of 1945, his duties in Japan were completed and he returned to the States. He was honorably discharged on 1 March 1946 holding the rank of Lieutenant (jg). He remained in the Naval Reserve until 1954 and was released in the rank of senior Lieutenant. His awards include a Letter of Appreciation from President Harry Truman, the American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Medal (Japan), and the navy Unit Commendation Ribbon. Orders awarding the Commendation Ribbon read: "Because of the nature of services by this (Naval Intelligence) unit no publicity will be given to your receipt of this award.