James A. Shelton

Last updated
James A. Shelton
Born 1916
Denton, Montana
Died June 4, 1942 (aged 25–26)
Near Midway Atoll
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Navy
Years of service 1941–1942
Rank Ensign
Unit Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6)
Battles/wars World War II
*Battle of Midway
Awards Navy Cross (posthumous)

James A. Shelton was born in Denton, Montana in 1916, and enlisted in the United States Navy on 15 January 1941. Appointed an aviation cadet on 20 March 1941, he trained at Pensacola, Miami, and San Diego. Ensign Shelton was assigned to Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) on 17 April 1942 and was reported missing on 4 June 1942 during the Battle of Midway. For his heroism and devotion to duty, Ensign Shelton was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously.

Denton, Montana Town in Montana, United States

Denton is a town in Fergus County, Montana, United States. The population was 255 at the 2010 census.

United States Navy Naval warfare branch of the United States Armed Forces

The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most capable navy in the world and it has been estimated that in terms of tonnage of its active battle fleet alone, it is larger than the next 13 navies combined, which includes 11 U.S. allies or partner nations. with the highest combined battle fleet tonnage and the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with eleven in service, and two new carriers under construction. With 319,421 personnel on active duty and 99,616 in the Ready Reserve, the Navy is the third largest of the service branches. It has 282 deployable combat vessels and more than 3,700 operational aircraft as of March 2018, making it the second-largest air force in the world, after the United States Air Force.

Naval Air Station Pensacola airport

Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola, "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United States Navy base located next to Warrington, Florida, a community southwest of the Pensacola city limits. It is best known as the initial primary training base for all U.S.Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard officers pursuing designation as Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers, the advanced training base for most Naval Flight Officers, and as the home base for the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the precision-flying team known as the Blue Angels.

Namesake

Two ships have been named USS Shelton in his honor.

Two ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Shelton, named for Ensign James A. Shelton (1916–1942), who was killed in the Battle of Midway.

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References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .


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