The Navy says it will name a future destroyer after Robert Kerrey, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for the gallantry he showed leading Coronado’s SEAL Team 1 on a dangerous raid during the Vietnam War.
Kerrey, 81, is widely known for his service as a U.S. senator and as governor of Nebraska, where he was born.
But he’s also known in the Navy community for the actions he took near Nha Trang Bay on March 14, 1969.
Lt. (j.g.) Kerrey led his team in a search of Viet Cong political operatives — a mission that involved scaling a 350-foot cliff to reach a secret encampment. They made it but were met with fierce fight. A grenade went off near Kerrey, badly injuring him — but he managed to call in fire support, enabling the team to repel the attack.
“(He) resolutely directed his men, despite his near-unconscious state, until he was evacuated by helicopter,” according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
“The havoc brought to the enemy by this very successful mission cannot be over-estimated. The enemy soldiers who were captured provided critical intelligence to the allied effort.”
Kerrey’s name will be borne by a $2.5 billion Arleigh Burke-class guided destroyer — a type of ship known for its versatility at sea.
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