David John Roche

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David John Roche
2 December 1918 – 4 June 1942
Place of birth	Hibbing, Minnesota
Place of death	Midway Atoll
Allegiance	United States of America
Years of service	1940–1942
Rank	ensign, USNR
Unit	Torpedo Squadron 3 (VT-3)
Battles/wars	Battle of Midway
Awards	Navy Cross (posthumous)

David John Roche, born in Hibbing, Minnesota 2 December 1918 enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve as seaman second class on 13 November 1939. He was appointed aviation cadet effective 15 February 1940, designated naval aviator (heavier-than-air), 14 October, and became an ensign, USNR, effective 21 October 1940. Following training at Pensacola Naval Air Station, he was assigned to Torpedo Squadron 3 and reported for duty on 1 December. He was officially reported missing in action as of 4 June 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.

In 1943, the destroyer escort USS Roche (DE-197) was named in his honor.

[edit] References

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

• Roche. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.