USS Charles R. Ware DD-865

    Born March 11, l911 to Walter and Zena Ware, Charles spent his early years in Knoxville,   Tennessee.  On June 14, 1929 he joined the Navy from Athens, Tennessee, where his mother was living at that time.  The residence was at 328 Ohio Street.

    In 1930, Charles was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland.  After graduation in 1934, he served aboard Texas (BB-35) and Dahlgren (DD-187) until February 1940, when he entered flight training school at Pensacola, Florida.

     Earning his wings as a naval aviator, Lt. Ware was first assigned aboard Enterprise (CV-6).  In January 1941, he was transferred to Scouting Squadron 5, aboard Yorktown (CV-5).  Then early in 1942, he was back with Scouting Squadron 6 aboard Enterprise, where we pick up some of the events of June 4 - the start of the Battle of Midway.

    By 0500, 156 planes are already airborne - 108 Japanese planes heading to Midway Atoll.  Sixteen U.S. B-17's en-route to attack enemy transport ships, and 32 scout planes out to find the enemy carriers, who at 0603 are 175 miles away.

    It takes the main U.S. attack force until 1002 to find the Japanese task force.  In just five minutes, Enterprise's Scouting Six and Bombing Six have destroyed two Japanese fleet carriers and a third is severely damaged.  Both sides are engaged in fierce attacks.

    Six VS-6 Dauntlesses formed up on the SBD flown by Lt. Ware.  By flying slowly, very low over the water, weaving as the enemy planes made their passes, and concentrating their fire, this group succeeded in keeping their assailants at bay: not one plane was brought down by enemy fighters.

    The surviving attack planes now faced an equally serious challenge: the flight back to Task Force 16.  There were to major problems: low fuel and no "Point Option" (the anticipated position of the carrier when the planes returned from their mission).

    Despite their efforts to conserve fuel, one by one the bomber's tanks ran dry, leaving their crews with no option but to ditch and hope for rescue.  Of the six crews in the squadron, only one survived.  Lt Ware and his gunner, ARM 1/C William H. Stambaugh and the other four crews, vanished into the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.

 For his gallantry, Lieutenant Ware was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, with this citation:

"For extraordinary heroism and courageous devotion to duty while piloting and airplane of a Scouting Squadron in action against enemy Japanese forces in the Battle of Midway during the period of June 4 - 6, 1942.  Participating in a devastating assault against a Japanese invasion fleet, Lieutenant Ware, with fortitude and resolute devotion to duty, pressed home the attacks in the face of a formidable barrage of anti-aircraft fire and fierce fighter opposition.  His gallant perseverance and disregard for his own personal safety were important contributing factors to the success achieved by our forces and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."