Patrick O . Ford Patrick Osborne Ford ( May 2 , 1942 – June 21 , 1968 ) was a United States Navy sailor serving on a PBR patrol boat who was killed in Vietnam after he saved the lives of two of his shipmates . The US Navy posthumously awarded him the Navy Cross and later named a frigate , USS " Ford " ( FFG - 54 ) , after him . Ford was born in San Francisco , California , on May 2 , 1942 . At the age of 15 , he moved to Phoenix , Arizona , where he attended Camelback and North High School . Shortly after graduation , Ford enlisted in the Navy . He completed basic training at the Naval Training Center , San Diego , California , and received orders to report to the NS Adak , Alaska . He reported aboard the destroyer " James E . Kyes " ( DD - 787 ) where he served as a Gunner ' s Mate until the end of his enlistment in 1963 . GMG2 Ford reenlisted in 1965 and served at the NS Long Beach , California . In 1966 , he was transferred to the NSA Danang , Republic of Vietnam , where he was ordered to report aboard " George K . MacKenzie " ( DD - 836 ) . Following completion of his tour aboard " MacKenzie " , Ford was subsequently transferred to " Henderson " ( DD - 785 ) where he remained until the end of his second enlistment in 1967 . Later that year Ford reenlisted for the second time at the Naval Receiving Station , San Francisco , California . He was ordered to the NAB Coronado , California for River Patrol Craft Training . Following completion of training in 1968 , GMG2 Ford was directed to report to the NSA Saigon , Republic of Vietnam . He was assigned to Task Force 116 , River Squadron 5 , River Section 535 in 1968 . For the next five months , he served as a patrol river boat sailor , monitoring the traffic of the many rivers and coastal waterways of the area . On June 21 , 1968 , GMG2 Ford was serving as the aft machine - gun ner aboard " Patrol River Boat 750 " as part of a two - boat patrol operating in the upper My Tho River near the town of Cai Be . The boats were maneuvering down the river when they spotted a sampan fleeing into a nearby canal . The two patrol boats gave chase and captured the sampan one hundred meters further up the canal . As the patrol boat returned to the river with the captured sampan in tow , it was ambushed by a Viet Cong patrol that unleashed an overwhelming barrage of heavy machine - gunfire and rockets . Two explosive B - 40 rocket s struck Ford ' s boat , immediately killing the patrol leader and coxswain . Within seconds , the boat was ablaze and out of control , heading directly for the Viet Cong positions . Even as the boat was hit by four additional rockets , and after suffering serious injuries , Ford tenaciously maintained a steady volume of return fire from his aft machine - gunner ' s station . In the face of enemy gunfire and with his clothing on fire , Ford assisted three seriously wounded shipmates into the water . Only after ensuring that all the surviving crew had left the boat did Ford make his way into the water . He was the last man alive to leave what remained of " Patrol River Boat 750 " . Soon after GMG2 Ford entered the water , he was killed by a burst of enemy machine - gun fire . However , his actions saved the lives of two of his shipmates . In recognition of his bravery , the US Navy posthumously awarded GMG2 Ford the Navy Cross and later named a frigate , USS " Ford " ( FFG - 54 ) , after him .