World War II Honoree
World War II Veteran
Jack Ragan Hamlin
Branch of Service
U.S. Coast Guard
Hometown
Springfield, Missouri
Honored By
Pearl Thomas
He joined the US Coast Guard on February 4, 1942. He became part of the invasion of Normandy on D-Day as part of Rescue Flotilla One. His job was to rescue soldiers and transport them back to a hospital ship. On Christmas Eve 1944, his crew received word that the SS Leopoldville was in trouble and had been torpedoed by a German submarine. They rescued soldiers and carried them back to port. In 1945, he was discharged and sent back to the United States.