Born in Minneapolis, MN, on April 5th, 1888, he died December 7th, 1941, while trying to fight his ship, the USS Arizona, from her berth in Pearl Harbor. His Medal of Honor Citation reads:
“For conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and complete disregard of his own life, during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, T.H., by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. As Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Arizona, Captain Van Valkenburgh gallantly fought his ship until the U.S.S. Arizona blew up from magazine explosions and a direct bomb hit on the bridge which resulted in the loss of his life.”
May the good Captain and his crew rest in peace and in our hearts.
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Mr. Ambrose, Nice tribute to a true hero. I stumbled on your blog while googling VS-28. I served with VS-28 at the same time you were with them and was on the Forrestal during her last cuise. Glad to see your doing well. Rick
Great to hear from you Rick! The old Gambler crew keeps growing around here.
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