Randolph M. Holder

Randolph Mitchell Holder
Born	September 20, 1918 Jackson, Mississippi
Died	June 5, 1942 (aged 23) Midway Atoll
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1940–1942
Rank	Lieutenant (j.g.)
Unit	Torpedo Squadron 6 (VT-6)
Battles/wars	World War II *Battle of Midway
Awards	Navy Cross (posthumous)

Randolph Mitchell Holder (born September 20, 1918 in Jackson, Mississippi), was commissioned Ensign April 10, 1940 following flight training. Reporting to Torpedo Squadron 6 (VT-6) in the famous aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), he took part in the early carrier operations in the critical months following the attack on Pearl Harbor and then fought in the pivotal Battle of Midway, first of the great American successes in the sea war. In the gallant attack of the torpedo planes early on June 4, 1942, Holder and his comrades attacked the Japanese ships without fighter cover. Though Holder and many others were shot down while pressing this attack, they forced radical maneuvers and diverted Japanese air cover so as to make the later raids lethal to the enemy fleet. Lieutenant (j.g.) Holder was presumed dead next day, June 5, 1942, and was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for his heroism.

Namesake

In 1944, the destroyer escort Template:USS Holder was named in his honor; after DE-401's loss, the destroyer USS Holder (DD-819) received a similar honor in 1945.

References

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