Beverly W . Reid Beverly W . Reid ( 1917 – 1942 ) was a United States Navy officer who received the Navy Cross for his actions in combat during World War II . Biography . Beverly William Reid was born in New Orleans , Louisiana , on 22 April 1917 . He attended Redemptorist College in New Orleans , before he enlisted in the U . S . Navy on 17 June 1935 . After completing boot camp , Reid reported on board the aircraft carrier USS " Lexington " ( CV - 2 ) on 28 November 1935 , and remained in that ship for over two years . Reporting to Naval Air Station Pensacola at Pensacola , Florida , on 25 March 1938 for flight training as a naval aviation pilot ( NAP ) , he received his wings on 29 March 1939 . After service with Torpedo Squadron 3 , in aircraft carrier USS " Saratoga " ( CV - 3 ) , Reid was transferred to Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor at Pearl Harbor , Territory of Hawaii , on 12 August 1941 . He was serving there when Japanese planes raided Oahu on 7 December 1941 . Transferred to Fighting Squadron 2 aboard " Lexington " on 27 December 1941 , Aviation Machinist ’ s Mate Second Class Reid was aboard that ship as she patrolled southwest of Oahu between 29 December 1941 and 16 January 1942 . Having been advanced to the rate of aviation machinist ’ s mate first class by that point , he was transferred to aircraft carrier USS " Enterprise " ( CV - 6 ) on 28 March 1942 , along with nine other naval aviation pilots , for temporary duty with Fighting Squadron 6 , in time for " Enterprise " s departure with Task Force 16 in support of the Doolittle Raid . On 18 April 1942 , the day of the Doolittle Raid , Reid flew with " Enterprise " s third combat air patrol of the day when lookout s spotted two Japanese guard boats . He and the other seven pilots of the combat air patrol then strafed the enemy vessels , sinking one and forcing the other , " Nagato Maru " , to surrender . Having been warranted as a machinist on 23 April 1942 , Reid was designated a naval aviator on 5 May 1942 . During the Battle of Midway , he flew three combat air patrol missions on 4 June 1942 , including one during which his section was vectored over to defend the crippled aircraft carrier USS " Yorktown " ( CV - 5 ) . He carried out aggressive attacks on two Japanese torpedo plane s and was credited with two confirmed “ kills . ” He also took part in strafing the Japanese destroyer s " Asashio " and " Arashio " as they assisted the crippled heavy cruiser s " Mogami " and " Mikuma " on 6 June 1942 . Reid , commissioned an ensign on 23 July 1942 , took part in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on 24 August 1942 . He flew one of the 27 Fighting Squadron 6 fighters scrambled for the combat air patrol over Task Force 17 , and , as one of two pilots listed as missing in action , was probably shot down by a Mitsubishi A6M “ Zero ” fighter in the ensuing action . Never seen again , Reid was presumed killed in action . Awards . For his attack Japanese torpedo bombers on 4 June 1942 at Midway , Reid received the Navy Cross . Namesake . The U . S . Navy destroyer escort USS " Beverly W . Reid " ( DE - 722 ) was named for Ensign Reid . She was converted during construction into the high - speed transport USS " Beverly W . Reid " ( APD - 119 ) , and was in commission as such from 1945 to 1947 and from 1967 to 1969 .