S!c James R.Ward

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Seaman First Class James Richard Ward, United States Navy, for conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and complete disregard of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. When it was seen that the U.S.S. OKLAHOMA (BB-37) was going to capsize and the order was given to abandon ship, Seaman First Class Ward remained in a turret holding a flashlight so the remainder of the turret crew could see to escape, thereby sacrificing his own life.

Action Date: 7-Dec-41

Service: Navy

Rank: Seaman First Class

Division: U.S.S. Oklahoma (BB-37)

James Richard Ward was the son of Howard Joseph Ward and Nancy M. Redmond, the brother of Marjorie Ward. James was born 10 Sep 1921 in Springfield OH. He died while aboard the USS Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor 7 Dec 1941.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=ward&GSfn=jam...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Ward

http://navylog.navymemorial.org/ward-james-23

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/84681124/james_richard_ward

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56134742/james_richard-ward

World War II Medal of Honor Recipient. He was posthumously awarded the CMOH for his bravery during the Japanese Navy attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, where he was serving in the United States Navy as a Seaman First Class aboard the battleship 'USS Oklahoma.' His citation reads: "For conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and complete disregard of his life, above and beyond the call of duty. When it was seen that the 'USS Oklahoma' was going to capsize and the order was given to abandon ship, Ward remained in a turret holding a flashlight so the remainder of the turret crew could see to escape, thereby sacrificing his own life." A cenotaph was placed for him in Ferncliff Cemetery, Springfield, Ohio, which was his hometown. His name is permanently inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, where a rosette is placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for, as his remains were recovered in 2015, identified, and buried in Arlington National Cemetery in 2021.

Bio by: Ugaalltheway