Marathon Pundit: September 11, 1901: Medal of Honor recipient John P. Cromwell born in Henry, IL

Sunday, September 11, 2011

September 11, 1901: Medal of Honor recipient John P. Cromwell born in Henry, IL

Captain John Cromwell

Even the most astute military historians probably overlooked the centennial of the birth of Captain John Philip Cromwell ten years ago.

Cromwell, a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, was born in Henry, Illinois on September 11, 1901. He graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1924. During World War II Crowmell commanded a submarine wolfpack in the Pacific. While attacking a Japanese convoy, his sub, the USS Sculpin, was damaged. The Sculpin resurfaced to fight it out with a Japanese destroyer. It was hardly an even match up. Cromwell could have abandoned ship with his crew, but since he was one of the few men who had knowledge of an impending attack on the Gilbert Islands, which became known as the Battle of Tarawa, Cromwell chose to have his stricken sub descend to the bottom of the Pacific, rather than subject himself to torture and drugs and reveal that plan. He went down with his ship.