Victor Antoine Moitoret was a Naval Academy graduate in the class of 1941. He was aboard the USS Hornet for the Doolittle Raid and went on to serve at Midway and the Solomon’s Campaign in 1942.
On October 26, 1942, Hornet was severely damaged during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Moitoret had the M1911A1 pistol (better known as the Colt 45) seen in this photograph in his holster when he abandoned ship.
After a brief respite in the U.S., Moitoret returned to duty aboard USS Princeton. In October 1944, the Princeton was operating off the coast of the Philippines when it was attacked by a Japanese dive bomber. Moitoret, now a lieutenant, was on the bridge when he felt a massive explosion rock the ship. Noticing that the Princeton was without power, he climbed atop the bridge and used semaphore flags to relay messages. While frantically trying to communicate with the other nearby ships, a secondary explosion peppered him with shrapnel. It was obvious that Princeton was doomed, and he eventually abandoned ship along with the rest of the surviving crew.
Incredibly, Moitoret was wearing the same pistol as when he abandoned the Hornet two years earlier.
On January 15, 1945, Moitoret was awarded the Silver Star. His citation praised him for “fighting fires, maintaining communication with other ships in the area, preserving confidential publications and obtaining all available lengths of fire hose for use where most needed.”
Moitoret stayed in the Navy through Vietnam, retiring in 1972. His “unsinkable” pistol is now in the hands of the Naval History and Heritage Command.
Moitoret died in January 2005 and is interred at Fort Bayard National Cemetery in New Mexico. Honor his service at his virtual Veterans Legacy Memorial page.
This #VeteranOfTheDay is from the Veterans Legacy Program. To learn more about the VLP, our partnerships and how we share the stories of Veterans in our national cemeteries, please visit the VLP webpage.
Nominate a Veteran
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s “Honoring Veterans” social media spotlight is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission
Topics in this story
More Stories
In honor of National Park Service's National Park Week, this week's Honoring Veterans spotlight honors the service of Army Veteran Michael Trevino, who today works as a facility manager at Reconstruction Era National Historical Park.
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Navy Veteran Ken Mattingly, who served as a pilot during the 1950s and later became an astronaut during the Apollo missions.
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Air Force Veteran Gavino Cavazos, who served from 1949 to 1973 during both the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
