James E. Earheart Jr.

James E. Earheart, Jr., (1913–1942), was a United States Marine killed in action during World War II who received the Silver Star posthumously for his actions.

Biography

James Edward Earheart, Jr., was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on 25 April 1913 and was of German descent. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 7 January 1942.

During Operation Torch, the Allied amphibious landings in North Africa, on 8 November 1942, Private First Class Earheart was a member of a naval antisabotage party embarked in a British warship which was damaged during the entry into Oran, Algeria. Heroically, he volunteered, in the face of continuous Vichy French shelling, to swim to a harbor tug whose movements were endangering the men abandoning the warship. He was killed in this effort.

Private First Class Earheart was awarded the Silver Star posthumously for his actions at Oran.

The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Earheart (DE-603) was named for Private First Class Earheart. She was converted during construction into the high-speed transport USS Earheart (APD-113), and was in commission as such from 1945 to 1946.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.