When Shipmates Earned the Medal of Honor Together: Rare Moments in WWII Naval History

March 25, 2026 | Glenn | , , ,
Placque at Museum of the Pacific War showing then Lt. Cmdr Joseph O'Callahan on the left, followed by a picture of President Truman presenting the Medal of Honor to a group of men including Lt. Cmder O'Callahan and Lt. (j.g) Donald Gary in January 1945 at a White House Ceremony. Also shown are pictures of the two frigates named after Gary and O'Callahan along with a photo of USS Franklin after the 19 March 1945 attack showing her listing to one side.
Plaque donated by Captain Gary Schnurrpusch, USN (Ret.), on display at The Museum of the Pacific War. Both Gary and O’Callahan received the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony in early 1945. Photo by Glenn Ross

In how many actions during World War II was the (Congressional) Medal of Honor (MOH) awarded to more than one crew member of a US Navy ship for the same action? Today, March 25th, is National Medal of Honor Day. To honor all MOH awardees across all military branches, I thought I would share this information I learned while researching the stories of USS Franklin (CV-13). Her crew is the most decorated in US Navy history, including two who were awarded the Medal of Honor.

The US fought Japan for 1,366 days. I can find only two days and one night in which more than one crew member was awarded the MOH for the same action on the same ship. (If my list is incomplete, please let me know.)

The Pearl Harbor Attack, December 7, 1941

First, the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor saw 15 men receive the Medal of Honor. Ten of the men served on four ships.

USS Arizona (BB‑39)

USS California (BB‑44)

USS Nevada (BB‑36)

USS Oklahoma (BB‑37)

First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, November 13, 1942

The US Marines landed on Guadalcanal in August 1942, but it wouldn’t be until February of the following year that the island would be secured, and the Japanese had evacuated the last of their soldiers. It wasn’t just a land battle; numerous battles took place at sea as both sides traded body blows. At one point, the US Navy was left with only one seagoing carrier (USS Enterprise), which was damaged. Two of the night actions, the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal and the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, one night later, were especially horrific.

USS San Francisco (CA-38)

Operation Lucky Day, March 19, 1945

Operation Lucky Day was Task Force 58’s mission to destroy or degrade Japanese military assets in southern Japan in March 1945 so that they could not be used against the US during the upcoming invasion of Okinawa. USS Franklin was part of Task Group 58.2, one of four task groups comprising the task force. It was during this action that Franklin’s crew became the most decorated in US Navy history.

USS Franklin (CV-13)

My book will discuss the actions of both Lt. Cmdr O’Callahan and Lt. (j.g.) Donald Gary. Both of whom can teach us about leadership and decision-making under pressure.

Did you arrive here via a search engine? I am the author of the forthcoming book Heroes By The Hundreds: The Story of the USS Franklin (CV-13). In addition to writing about the bravery of her crew,  I will discuss the lessons we can learn in leadership and decision-making.

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Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question. Thanks for reading.  

-Glenn

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