Charles Walter David Jr. Explained

Charles Walter David Jr.
Birth Date:June 20, 1917
Death Date:March 29, 1943
Placeofburial:Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, New York
Branch:United States Coast Guard
Rank:Steward's Mate First Class

Charles Walter David Jr. (June 20, 1917 – March 29, 1943), who served as a Steward's Mate in the United States Coast Guard, died of pneumonia after rescuing other sailors from the frigid North Atlantic.[1] [2] [3] He was assigned to the USCGC Comanche during World War II, which was assigned to escort a convoy that included the, a troop transport, when it was torpedoed by a U-boat off Greenland.David volunteered to dive into the frigid waters to rescue exhausted crew and passengers from the Dorchester. David also rescued several other Comanche crew members, who grew exhausted.

David came down with pneumonia after the exertion of the rescue, dying a few days later. He was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.[1]

David's widow Kathleen and young son Neil received the award on his behalf.

USCGC Charles David Jr

In 2010, when the Coast Guard decided that all the new Sentinel class cutters would be named after Coast Guard personnel who had been recognized for their heroism, David was one of those to be honored.[2] The seventh cutter in the class is named . She is the first Sentinel class cutter to be homeported in Key West, Florida.[4]

Notes and References

  1. News: Coast Guard Heroes: Charles Walter David Jr. . . Connie Braesch . 2010-11-02 . 2012-09-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120903062425/http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/index.php/2010/11/coast-guard-heroes-charles-walter-david-jr/ . dead . Tragically, David died a few days later from pneumonia that he contracted during his heroic efforts to save the Dorchester’s survivors and members from his own crew. He was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his bravery, which was received by his wife and son, Kathleen and Neil David..
  2. News: Coast Guard Heroes . . 2010-10-27 . 2012-04-20 . Stephanie Young . 2012-11-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121127001903/http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2010/10/coast-guard-heroes/ . dead.
  3. News: Tribute To Coast Guard Heroes . . Mary L. Landrieu . Mary L. Landrieu . 2012-03-05 . 2013-01-10 . 2014-09-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140903110346/http://capitolwords.org/date/2012/03/05/S1383_tribute-to-coast-guard-heroes/ . dead . Stewards-Mate First Class Charles Walter David was a cook aboard the Coast Guard cutter Comanche when the Army transport ship Dorchester was attacked by a German U-Boat off the coast of Greenland on the night of February 3, 1943. David dove into the frigid seas of the North Atlantic and helped to save the lives of 93 soldiers and many of his own crew including the ship's executive officer, who had accidentally fallen overboard..
  4. News: Coast Guard Commissions Third Fast Response Cutter, William Flores . . Rhonda Carpenter . 2012-11-05 . 2013-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130324131813/http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/coast-guard-commissions-third-fast-response-cutter-william-flores/ . dead . The first six FRCs for District 7 will be homeported in Miami; the next six in Key West; and the remaining six in Puerto Rico..

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Charles Walter David Jr.".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.