WASHINGTON — In his Veterans Day remarks, President Bushrecalled the heroic actions of Alonzo A. Swann Jr. during World WarII that resulted in him being awarded the Navy Cross.
Swann, whose son Alonzo Swann III is NCUA's Region 3 director,received the award in 1993 after almost 50 years of lobbying on hisbehalf.
“Alonzo Swann, who on October 29, 1944, here on the deck of theIntrepid, had to help his fellow sailors deal with a kamikazeattack. He saw his best friend burning alive and caught in a gunmount. He rushed into the flames. He attempted to save his buddy,but before he could do so, an ammunition then detonated; nine werekilled, six injured, including Alonzo,” Bush said during remarks atthe rededication ceremony while on the Intrepid, which has sincebecome a museum.
“If you think you're right, fight your heart out,” Bush quoted theelder Swann as saying.
The elder Swann, who died earlier this year, had already receivedthe Bronze Star, but many thought he had been denied the higherhonor because of his race. President Clinton presented him with theaward on Nov. 3, 1993, on the Intrepid.
The younger Swann, an Air Force reservist, has been with the NCUAsince 1983.
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