William Joseph Pattison

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to William Joseph Pattison, Signalman Third Class, U.S. Navy, for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty while serving on board the Destroyer U.S.S. EBERLE (DD-430), in action against the enemy in the Atlantic Ocean, on 10 March 1943. When a hostile blockade runner was intercepted and attacked, Signalman Third Class Pattison, as a member of a boarding party attempting to salvage the vessel, was the second man to reach her deck. Despite grave danger from threatening flames and the powerful explosions of demolition charges, he courageously assisted in conducting a determined effort to execute salvage operations, and by his skillful use of semaphore flags kept his own ship accurately informed of the situation, remaining at his post until the runner began to sink. His conduct throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Navy of the United States.