John James Powers John James Powers ( July 3 , 1912 – May 8 , 1942 ) was a United States Navy officer and a recipient of the United States military ' s highest decoration , the Medal of Honor , for his actions in World War II . He was born in New York City on July 3 , 1912 and graduated from the U . S . Naval Academy in 1935 . World War II naval career . After serving at sea for five years , he underwent flight training , reporting January 21 , 1941 to Bombing Squadron 5 ( flying the SBD Dauntless ) , attached to the . As the fleet moved to prevent further Japanese expansion in the Solomons , Powers took part in the May 4 , 1942 raid on Tulagi , flying without fighter cover to score two hits on Japanese ships . As the main Battle of the Coral Sea developed on May 7 , Powers and his companions discovered carrier " Shōhō " and , bombing at extremely low altitudes , sank her in 10 minutes . Next morning , while the carrier battle continued , he joined the attack on " Shokaku " , scoring an important bomb hit . In a September 1943 radio address to the nation , Franklin D . Roosevelt said , " During the first two days [ of the Battle of the Coral Sea ] , Lieutenant Powers , flying a divebomber in the face of blasting enemy anti - aircraft fire , demolished one large enemy gunboat , put another gunboat out of commission , severely damaged an aircraft tender and a twenty thousand ton transport , and scored a direct hit on an aircraft carrier which burst into flames and sank soon after . " Awarded the Medal of Honor . His low - bombing run , however , brought Powers into heavy antiaircraft fire , and his plane plunged into the sea . Powers was declared dead and , for his actions in this series of attacks , was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously . According to the citation : " . . . completely disregarding the safety altitude and without fear or concern for his own safety , he courageously pressed home his attack , almost to the very deck of an enemy carrier and did not release his bomb until he was sure of a direct hit . " " He sacrificed his life when he deliberately dove his plane from 18 , 000 feet to an extremely low altitude before release in order to insure a direct hit on the Japanese aircraft carrier , making good his words to his pilots prior to takeoff : " Remember — the folks back home are counting on us . I am going to get a direct hit if I have to lay it on the flight deck . " This , according to " 20 Year Rendezvous : 1935 Lucky Bag , " a 20th graduation anniversary book published by the Naval Academy for members of that class . Speaking at length about Lt . Powers in a September 1942 radio address President Roosevelt remarked that " He led [ his squadron ] down to the target from an altitude of 18 , 000 feet , through a wall of bursting anti - aircraft shells and swarms of enemy planes . He dived almost to the very deck of the enemy carrier , and did not release his bomb until he was sure of a direct hit . He was last seen attempting recovery from his dive at the extremely low altitude of two hundred feet , amid a terrific barrage of shell and bomb fragments , smoke , flame and debris from the stricken vessel . His own plane was destroyed by the explosion of his own bomb . But he had made good his promise to ' lay it on the flight deck . ' " Medal of Honor citation . Rank and organization : Lieutenant , U . S . Navy . Born : 13 July 1912 , New York City , N . Y . Accredited to : New York . Other Navy award : Air Medal with 1 gold star . Citation : For distinguished and conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty , while pilot of an airplane of Bombing Squadron 5 , Lt . Powers participated , with his squadron , in 5 engagements with Japanese forces in the Coral Sea area and adjacent waters during the period 4 to 8 May 1942 . Three attacks were made on enemy objectives at or near Tulagi on 4 May . In these attacks he scored a direct hit which instantly demolished a large enemy gunboat or destroyer and is credited with 2 close misses , 1 of which severely damaged a large aircraft tender , the other damaging a 20 , 000 - ton transport . He fearlessly strafed a gunboat , firing all his ammunition into it amid intense antiaircraft fire . This gunboat was then observed to be leaving a heavy oil slick in its wake and later was seen beached on a nearby island . On 7 May , an attack was launched against an enemy airplane carrier and other units of the enemy ' s invasion force . He fearlessly led his attack section of 3 Douglas Dauntless dive bombers , to attack the carrier . On this occasion he dived in the face of heavy antiaircraft fire , to an altitude well below the safety altitude , at the risk of his life and almost certain damage to his own plane , in order that he might positively obtain a hit in a vital part of the ship , which would insure her complete destruction . This bomb hit was noted by many pilots and observers to cause a tremendous explosion engulfing the ship in a mass of flame , smoke , and debris . The ship sank soon after . That evening , in his capacity as Squadron Gunnery Officer , Lt . Powers gave a lecture to the squadron on point - of - aim and diving technique . During this discourse he advocated low release point in order to insure greater accuracy ; yet he stressed the danger not only from enemy fire and the resultant low pull - out , but from own bomb blast and bomb fragments . Thus his low - dive bombing attacks were deliberate and premeditated , since he well knew and realized the dangers of such tactics , but went far beyond the call of duty in order to further the cause which he knew to be right . The next morning , 8 May , as the pilots of the attack group left the ready room to man planes , his indomitable spirit and leadership were well expressed in his own words , " Remember the folks back home are counting on us . 1 am going to get a hit if 1 have to lay it on their flight deck . " He led his section of dive bombers down to the target from an altitude of 18 , 000 feet , through a wall of bursting antiaircraft shells and into the face of enemy fighter planes . Again , completely disregarding the safety altitude and without fear or concern for his safety , Lt . Powers courageously pressed home his attack , almost to the very deck of an enemy carrier and did not release his bomb until he was sure of a direct hit . He was last seen attempting recovery from his dive at the extremely low altitude of 200 feet , and amid a terrific barrage of shell and bomb fragments , smoke , flame and debris from the stricken vessel . Namesake . His mother christened the , which was named after him , in February 1944 . There is a plaque bearing his name in Memorial Hall at the U . S . Naval Academy . There is a cenotaph monument to him at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx , New York .