WW2 Midway Fallen - Medal of Honor hero Richard Fleming, Vindicator dive bomber pilot

Vindicator bomber pilot Captain Richard Fleming earned the Medal of Honor at the Battle of Midway.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=654197
https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2015/11/06/vought-sb2u-vindicator/ 

Richard E. Fleming never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on November 2, 1917 in Minnesota. His mother was born in Nebraska and his father was born in England. His father worked as a coal company sales manager and later was a vice president for the coal company. Richard had one older brother and one younger brother. By 1940 Richard had graduated from the University of Minnesota. He was a Marine air cadet student. He finished first in his class. 

Richard was promoted to first lieutenant in April 1942 and was made captain a month later. His unit of dive bombers was assigned to Midway Island ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Captain Fleming was the flight officer for Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 241. 

When the Japanese planes were spotted flying in to bomb Midway Island on June 4, 1942, Captain Fleming was part of a hodgepodge collection of Midway based planes sent to attack the Japanese strike force. It included TBF1 Avengers, B-26 Marauders, Fleming's SBD-2 Dauntlesses, B-17 Flying Fortresses and SB2U Vindicators.

The inexperienced Americans made no hits and took significant losses. Fleming tried to drop his bomb on Japanese carrier Hiryu but missed. When the commanding officer was killed during the same attack he assumed command. Navy bombers later destroyed all four Japanese carriers, instantly insuring the Japanese would lose the war.

The next day American search planes spotted the straggling Japanese cruiser Mikuma steaming away. Captain Fleming led a squadron of Vindicators to sink it. Captain Fleming's plane was shot down during his unsuccessful bombing run. He was posthumously awarded the only Medal of Honor awarded for the Battle of Midway.

His Medal of Honor citation reads as follows:

For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty as Flight Officer, Marine Scout-Bombing Squadron TWO FORTY-ONE during action against enemy Japanese forces in the Battle of Midway on June 4 and 5, 1942. 

When his squadron Commander was shot down during the initial attack upon an enemy aircraft carrier, Captain Fleming led the remainder of the division with such fearless determination that he dived his own plane to the perilously low altitude of four hundred feet before releasing his bomb. Although his craft was riddled by 179 hits in the blistering hail of fire that burst upon him from Japanese fighter guns and antiaircraft batteries, he pulled out with only two minor wounds inflicted upon himself. On the night of June 4, when the Squadron Commander lost his way and became separated from the others, Captain Fleming brought his own plane in for a safe landing at its base despite hazardous weather conditions and total darkness. 

The following day, after less than four hours' sleep, he led the second division of his squadron in a coordinated glide-bombing and dive- bombing assault upon a Japanese battleship. Undeterred by a fateful approach glide, during which his ship was struck and set afire, he grimly pressed home his attack to an altitude of five hundred feet, released his bomb to score a near-miss on the stern of his target, then crashed to the sea in flames. His dauntless perseverance and unyielding devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

The citation erroneously identified the cruiser Mikuma as a battleship. It was sunk on June 6 by naval bombers from Enterprise and Hornet.

His cenotaph grave is at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.

Thank you Richard for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Richard.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

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