FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Nathan G Gordon ~ 25 June 2018

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

Nathan G. Gordon

Info from this website.

           

Nathan Green Gordon (September 4, 1916 – September 8, 2008) was an American lawyer, politician, and decorated naval aviator. A Democrat, he served as the Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas for ten terms, from 1947 to 1967. As a United States Navy officer in World War II, he received the U.S. military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for rescuing the crews of several downed airplanes.

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Biography

Gordon was born in Morrilton, the seat of Conway County in central Arkansas, to Edward Gordon and the former Ada Ruth Bearden. After graduation from Morrilton public schools, he graduated Columbia Military Academy, Columbia, Tennessee, in 1933 followed by Arkansas Polytechnic College in Russellville.  He then attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, graduating with a Juris Doctor degree in 1939.

Gordon practiced law in his hometown of Morrilton before joining the Navy in May 1941. After qualifying as a naval aviator, he was sent to the southwest Pacific Ocean, where he would serve more than two years.  By February 15, 1944, he was a lieutenant, junior grade, in command of a PBY Catalina flying boat named the "Arkansas Traveler", part of Patrol Squadron 34 (the Black Cat Squadron).  On that day, in the Bismarck Sea off the island of New Ireland, Gordon piloted his aircraft through heavy Japanese fire to rescue the survivors of several downed United States Army planes. He was subsequently promoted to lieutenant and awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.  He served in the Navy until 1945, when he was released to inactive duty.

After the war, Gordon formed a business partnership with his brother, Edward Gordon, Jr., and returned to the practice of law in Morrilton.  His political career began in 1946, when he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas under Governors Benjamin Travis Laney. He took office in January 1947 and was re-elected to nine more two-year terms, finally leaving office in January 1967. During his tenure he served under four different Governors: Laney (1945-1949), Sid McMath (1949-1953), Francis Cherry (1953-1955), and Orval Faubus (1955-1967).

Lieutenant Gordon's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

    For extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty as commander of a Catalina patrol plane in rescuing personnel of the U.S. Army 5th Air Force shot down in combat over Kavieng Harbor in the Bismarck Sea, 15 February 1944. On air alert in the vicinity of Vitu Islands, Lt. (then Lt. j.g.) Gordon unhesitatingly responded to a report of the crash and flew boldly into the harbor, defying close-range fire from enemy shore guns to make 3 separate landings in full view of the Japanese and pick up 9 men, several of them injured. With his cumbersome flying boat dangerously overloaded, he made a brilliant takeoff despite heavy swells and almost total absence of wind and set a course for base, only to receive the report of another group stranded in a rubber life raft 600 yards from the enemy shore. Promptly turning back, he again risked his life to set his plane down under direct fire of the heaviest defenses of Kavieng and take aboard 6 more survivors, coolly making his fourth dexterous takeoff with 15 rescued officers and men. By his exceptional daring, personal valor, and incomparable airmanship under most perilous conditions, Lieutenant Gordon prevented certain death or capture of our airmen by the Japanese.

Gordon did not seek reelection in 1966, when the Democratic nominee, James Pilkinton of Hope, narrowly lost the general election to Maurice L. Britt, the first Republican to hold the state's second highest office since Reconstruction. Like Gordon, Britt was also a military hero.

More on Nathan Gordon's heroics here.

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Hey!
Who’s side are you on?
LOL

[radu]

That sounds like a pretty good day, especially the movie with your fuzzy blankie. :-)

Pretty low key here too. Had to make a quick Wal Mart run but most of the afternoon was spent folding new pamphlets for the museum.

Now back to the grind of trying to come up with something for the Republican Women’s Group that I was asked to compose. This stuff is not my forte and I’m not enjoying it a bit. But it must be done.

[luvie]

He IS...but he’s YOUR brat! LOL!

[Kathy in Alaska]

[Publius]

(GENTLE HUG & CHASTE SMOOCH)

Hope you enjoyed this week's entries in the songbook. I'll only be at the Canteen Saturday night next weekend. Have a business trip Friday.

[mylife]

awesome!

Fly you bastard! Fly!

[mylife]

Louie says to Murphy, “can you fly Her? I mean can you get her up?”

Murphy says ‘every scrap of her is in my fingers’

Louie says yes, but can you get her back down....

“That, I know I can do now stop blathering the war will be over before I do anything”

“cast me off...”

[Kathy in Alaska]

Rarely have time for naps...usually fall asleep at the computer in the evening. LOL! Posting time on Saturday and Sunday is 4p my time.

[mylife]

then Louie says “Madness”

[Kathy in Alaska]

WOW!!! Happy people and plants at your house...3”!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

But it was a perfect answer. LOL!

Did anything turn out to be wrong, or did you teach it the words?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Yikes! Composing??? Not my forte either, but good luck with it.

[luvie]

I always forget about that. LOL! Were you able to get that screen and sliding glass door all fixed up?

[radu]

The plants are very happy but the same can’t be said for Hubby. Lots of rain means more time on the riding mower. LOL!

[radu]

Not much fun, is it? I’ve been working on it a couple of days and THINK I’ve almost got it figured out now. Just got to tweak it a little more.

[Kathy in Alaska]

He brought a new upper channel on Wednesday, but after installing it wasn’t happy with how the screen rolls. Said he was going to cut down the screen a bit. He is very particular about how it works...for which I am very thankful.

[radu]

Nice that he’s a perfectionist. It might take a couple of days longer to get the screen door installed but it’s going to hold up a long time once it is.

[MS.BEHAVIN]

LOL
It WAS a perfect answer, darn it!
I was so surprised, I burst out laughing!
I wanted to be mad!

He tinkered around with it, and it’s okay.
Maybe it was a loose hose or sumptin?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Glad she is now safe for you to drive.

[radu]

Gotta agree it WAS a perfect answer. LOL!

Glad the problem was something he could fix. Saves a lot of money! Taking a car to a mechanic HURTS!