PEOPLE--UNITED STATES

Milton E. Ricketts was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on 5 August 1913. Graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1935, he subsequently served in USS Ranger (CV-4) and USS Yorktown (CV-5). On 8 May 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea, Lieutenant Ricketts was in charge of a damage control party on board Yorktown. When a Japanese bomb exploded among his group, he successfully undertook fire-fighting measures despite having received mortal wounds. For this act of heroism, Lieutenant Milton E. Ricketts was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

USS Ricketts (DE-254) was named in his honor.

This page features our only view of Milton E. Ricketts.

Photo #: NH 95297 Lieutenant Milton Ernest Ricketts, USN (1913-1942) Halftone photograph copied from Medal of Honor, The Navy. Lt. Ricketts was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Battle of Coral Sea, 8 May 1942. He was in charge of a USS Yorktown (CV-5) damage control party that suffered many casualties from a bomb explosion. Despite mortal wounds, Lt. Rickets deployed a fire hose and successfully contained the resulting fire before he died. U.S. Naval History & Heritage Command Photograph Online Image: 172KB; 640 x 765 pixels

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