serviceyears branch death_place death_date birth_place allegiance unit awards placeofburial_label battles birth_date rank article_title name
1940 -- 1942 united states navy midway atoll 4 june 1942 hibbing , minnesota united states of america torpedo squadron 3 -lrb- vt-3 -rrb- navy cross -lrb- posthumous -rrb- place of burial world war ii * battle of midway 2 december 1918 ensign david john roche
 david john roche
david john roche

david john roche , born in hibbing , minnesota december 2 , 1918 enlisted in the u.s. naval reserve as seaman second class on november 13 , 1939 .
he was appointed aviation cadet effective february 15 , 1940 , designated naval aviator -lrb- heavier-than-air -rrb- , october 14 , and became an ensign , usnr , effective october 21 , 1940 .
following training at pensacola naval air station , he was assigned to torpedo squadron 3 and reported for duty on december 1 .
he was officially reported missing in action as of june 4 , 1942 , when the plane he was piloting was shot down in the battle of midway .
for pressing home his torpedo attack on japanese naval units in the face of tremendous antiaircraft fire and overwhelming fighter opposition , he was posthumously awarded the navy cross .
