He was the first African American to be awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest honor for valor awarded by the U.S. Navy at the time, after the when was sunk by a Japanese submarine during the Battle of Makin.
He was the first African American to be awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest honor for valor awarded by the U.S. Navy, after the Medal of Honor. Nearly two years after Pearl Harbor, he was killed in action when was sunk by a Japanese submarine during the Battle of Makin.