Jack's Silver Star Moment

On June 26, 1943, the submarine USS Jack prowled the waters off Japan on her first war patrol. She was young, aggressive, and her crew carried a dangerous confidence. That morning, Jack struck hard, firing a spread of torpedoes into a convoy and sending two ships to the bottom. The crew was elated, convinced they had the war figured out. But in the shadow of victory came disaster. A Japanese bomber swooped down and dropped a depth charge so close it blew Jack’s stern clear out of the water, wrecked her diving planes, and sent her plunging out of control. In that moment of chaos, with the submarine seconds from destruction, Torpedoman’s Mate Chief Sylvest Kohut fought to free the jammed controls and helped save the boat. It was a narrow escape, a hard-earned lesson that in war it is always the unexpected that can kill you.