Run To Honor

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To preserve and perpetuate the legacy of Naval Academy Alumni lost in service to our Nation during combat or military operations.

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10/15/2026

October 15, 1985: LT Robert Ledbetter, III '69, USNR was lost when the CH-53D he was riding in crashed immediately after taking off from USS Guadalcanal (LPH 7), operating off the coast of North Carolina. He was a chaplain attached to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines. Born in Watseka, Illinois, he was raised in Norfolk where he graduated high school. He had sea duty in a minesweeper and guided missile destroyer, and spent a year at the Pentagon. He resigned his commission, and spent about eight years in various Baptist ministries. In 1983 he was ordained and commissioned a Lieutenant (j.g.) CHC, USNR; in June 1984 he was recalled to active duty. He was survived by his wife, children, and parents.

https://usnamemorialhall.org/honorees/lt-robert-l-ledbetter-iii-usnr/

Other alumni lost on this day are listed here: https://usnamemorialhall.org/date/10-15/

10/14/2026

October 14, 1944: LTC Enrique Jurado '34, PA was killed by rival Philippine guerillas. A noted wrestler, he competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics. At the outset of the war he was the commanding officer of the Philippine’s Offshore Patrol unit. He aggressively and successfully fought his small group of torpedo boats and other vessels for 100 days until the last was destroyed. For the rest of the war, until his death, he was with the Panay guerillas, fighting Japanese forces from within the Philippines and providing invaluable intelligence back to Allied commanders. The Philippine Navy commissioned BRP Enrique Jurado (PG 371) in honor of Henry; the sports complex at the Philippine Military Academy and the gym at the military headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines are both named for him. He was survived by his wife and two sons.

https://usnamemorialhall.org/honorees/ltcol-enrique-l-jurado-pa/

Other alumni lost on this day are listed here: https://usnamemorialhall.org/date/10-14/

10/13/2026

October 13, 1944: CDR Frederick Schrader '35, USN was killed in action when his F6F-5 Hellcat fighter was shot down over Formosa. He was Commander, Air Group (CAG) 11, aboard USS Hornet (CV 12). “Fritz” had commanded the air group for only a few weeks; from October 1943 to August 1944 he was commanding officer of Fighting Squadron (VF) 3. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Frederick’s remains were recovered by the Japanese, but he was marked as “unknown” following the war. It was only through the determined efforts of Matt Robbins ‘04 that the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency agreed to exhume Frederick’s remains; he was positively identified in September 2022. Frederick was survived by his wife and two daughters, both of whom married military officers. One of the daughters was able to attend his burial in 2023. That daughter’s son is a retired Navy Commander, and his son is Josh Patton ’13.

https://usnamemorialhall.org/honorees/cdr-frederick-r-schrader-usn/

Other alumni lost on this day are listed here: https://usnamemorialhall.org/date/10-13/

10/12/2026

October 12, 1949: CDR James Southerland, II '36, USN was lost when his jet aircraft crashed on takeoff from an aircraft carrier off the coast of Florida. “‘Pug’ was probably the most memorable contribution the USNA Class of 1935 made to the Class of 1936, joining the class in early 1935 after a small problem of accumulated demerits.” He went on to become one of the most accomplished Naval Aviators of all time. He served successively in carrier air groups operating off of Yorktown, Ranger, Wasp, Langley, Saratoga, and Essex, taking an active part in the Battle of Midway and in the recapture of Guadalcanal. A fighter ace, he shot down the first Japanese aircraft in the Guadalcanal campaign – and then was shot down himself. He was wounded, but managed to evade capture with the help of some natives. He later commanded a fighter squadron and an air group during attacks on Kyushu and Tokyo, and supported the landings on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In the course of the war he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross twice, the Purple Heart, two Presidential Unit Citations, and the Navy Unit Commendation. Pug was survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.

https://usnamemorialhall.org/honorees/cdr-james-j-southerland-ii-usn/

Other alumni lost on this day are listed here: https://usnamemorialhall.org/date/10-12/

10/11/2026

October 11, 1943: CDR Dudley Morton '30, USN was killed in action when USS Wahoo (SS 238) was sunk by Japanese air and surface attack. He was the boat’s commanding officer, and among the most successful American submarine skippers of the entire war. Three other alumni were killed: LCDR Verne Skjonsby ‘34, USN, LT Richie Henderson ‘40, USN, and LT William Burgan ‘40, USN. “Mush” Morton was born in Miami, Florida, and served as a junior officer in the carrier Saratoga and cruiser Chicago. He became a submarine officer, returned to a destroyer as executive officer, and had command of a small submarine, USS R-5 (SS 81), until April 1942. Once in command of Wahoo, his five war patrols resulted in the destruction of nineteen enemy ships of a combined 55,000 tons. He was awarded the Navy Cross four times, as well as the Army’s equivalent medal, the Distinguished Service Cross. Dudley was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.

https://usnamemorialhall.org/honorees/cdr-dudley-w-morton-usn/
https://usnamemorialhall.org/honorees/lcdr-verne-l-skjonsby-usn/
https://usnamemorialhall.org/honorees/lt-richie-n-henderson-usn/
https://usnamemorialhall.org/honorees/lt-william-w-burgan-usn/

Other alumni lost on this day are listed here: https://usnamemorialhall.org/date/10-11/

10/10/2026

October 10, 1991: LCDR Dan Dewispelaere '81, USN was lost when the A-6E Intruder he was piloting crashed near Wenatchee, Washington. He grew up in a military family, and was stationed in various places in the United States as well as Norway; he graduated high school in Alexandria, Virginia. At the Naval Academy Dan played on the Rugby team and is now in the Navy Rugby Hall of Fame. Dan was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat “V,” almost certainly from the Persian Gulf War, in which he flew in “43 days of combat operations.” He was survived by his wife, two sons, daughter, parents, brother, and sister.

https://usnamemorialhall.org/honorees/lcdr-dan-d-dewispelaere-usn/

Other alumni lost on this day are listed here: https://usnamemorialhall.org/date/10-10/

10/09/2026

October 9, 1943: LCDR Millard Klein '31, USN LCDR George Lambert ’35, USN, and FC3 William Kiskaddon ’45, USN were killed in action when USS Buck (DD 420) was torpedoed by a German submarine and sank near Salerno, Italy. Millard, the ship’s commanding officer, was awarded the Navy Cross for sinking a U-Boat in August. He was survived by his wife and three children. George, the executive officer, was awarded the Legion of Merit for that same action in August. At the Naval Academy he was captain of the Boxing team. George was survived by his wife. William resigned from the Naval Academy in April 1942, the Spring of his plebe year. It’s unclear when he rejoined the service. William was survived by his uncle and two siblings.

https://usnamemorialhall.org/honorees/lcdr-millard-j-klein-usn/
https://usnamemorialhall.org/honorees/lcdr-george-s-lambert-usn/
https://usnamemorialhall.org/honorees/fc3-william-h-kiskaddon-usn/

Other alumni lost on this day are listed here: https://usnamemorialhall.org/date/10-09/

10/08/2026

October 8, 1944: COL Howard Johnson '27, USA was killed in action with the German Army near Driel, Holland, when he was struck by a large shell fragment. He was the commanding officer of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Originally a member of the Class of 1926, he resigned in February 1923 and then was readmitted to the Class of 1927 in September 1923. Howard resigned a second time in June 1925. He initially joined the Army as a pilot, but was washed out due to poor eyesight. In 1942 he was the activating commanding officer of the 501st, and he hand-picked the unit’s core officers and NCOs. Howard was known as “Jumping Johnson” for his love of parachuting – he recorded 123 total jumps – and was also known for his devotion to physical conditioning, personally leading the Regiment in calisthenics, running, and other physical activities. Howard jumped into France on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and into Holland on September 17, 1944. A legendary combat commander, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Croix de Guerre. Howard was survived by his wife, daughter, and son.

https://usnamemorialhall.org/honorees/col-howard-r-johnson-usa/

Other alumni lost on this day are listed here: https://usnamemorialhall.org/date/10-08/

10/07/2026

October 7, 1969: LTJG Kenneth Norton '67, USN was killed in action when the boat (PCF 61) for which he was officer-in-charge was ambushed on the Troung Yang river, South Vietnam. Prior to the Naval Academy he attended Columbian Prep for a year; while there he became known for his devotion to his friends, his fast car, and parachuting. He was survived by his parents.

https://usnamemorialhall.org/honorees/ltjg-kenneth-d-norton-usn/

Other alumni lost on this day are listed here: https://usnamemorialhall.org/date/10-07/

10/06/2026

October 6, 1920: LCDR William Corry, Jr. '10, USN died of injuries sustained in a plane crash on October 2nd near Hartford, Connecticut. His Medal of Honor citation reads: “The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander William Merrill Corry, Jr., United States Navy, for heroic service in attempting to rescue a brother officer from a flame-enveloped airplane near Hartford, Connecticut. On 2 October 1920, an airplane in which Lieutenant Commander Corry was a passenger crashed and burst into flames. He was thrown 30 feet clear of the plane and, though injured, rushed back to the burning machine and endeavored to release the pilot. In so doing he sustained serious burns, from which he died four days later.” William was designated Naval Aviator #23 in 1916; from August 1917 to 1919 he commanded the Naval Air Stations at Le Croisic and later Brest, France. For this service he was awarded the Navy Cross. Three ships were named in his honor. He was survived by his parents and three siblings.

https://usnamemorialhall.org/honorees/lcdr-william-m-corry-jr-usn/

Other alumni lost on this day are listed here: https://usnamemorialhall.org/date/10-06/

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