The Terrible Story Of U.S. Navy Lieutenant Richard Miles McCool, Jr. of Tishomingo, Honoring Him For His Heroic Actions During WWII.
U.S. Navy Lieutenant Richard Miles McCool, Jr. of Tishomingo, Oklahoma, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary actions on June 10-11, 1945, off the coast of Okinawa.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, McCool was accepted into a new Navy ROTC program and later appointed to the Naval Academy.
He graduated in 1944 (his class of 1945 graduated a year early) and by June 1945 was serving as a lieutenant on the USS LCS(L)(3)-122 and Landing Craft Support ship.
On June 10, 1945, off the coast of Okinawa Island, McCool helped rescue the survivors of the sinking destroyer USS William D. Porter.
The next day, his ship was hit by a Japanese kamikaze. Although he suffered severe burns and shrapnel wounds in the explosion, he continued to lead his crew in the firefighting and rescue efforts until relief arrived. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on June 10-11, 1945.
McCool also served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He retired at the rank of Captain in 1974 after a 30-year career. He died of natural causes on March 5, 2008, in Bremerton, Washington.
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