Capt. Barron T. Nelson: Capt. Barron T. Nelson, whose right leg had been amputated below the knee after an accident on the USS Higbee, returned to full active duty and was named skipper of the USS Tawasa.

Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz: Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered Chester Nimitz to "get the hell to Pearl and stay there until the war is won."

Lt. Cmdr. Butch O'Hare: This naval aviator -- the son of a businessman murdered by Al Capone's gang -- won the Medal of Honor in World War II's Pacific theatre.

Pfc. Milton Lee Olive III: One day in 1965, this quiet young man from Chicago displayed the kind of courage that still inspires his fellow "Sky Soldiers" and his hometown.

Lt. Col. John U. D. Page: After years spent training others to be warriors, Lt. Col. John U. D. Page went to Korea, where he proved his own battlefield mettle time and again over 12 incredible days.

Lt. Gen. George S. Patton Jr.: On Aug. 17, 1943, Lt. Gen. George S. Patton Jr. and his Seventh Army beat British Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery and his Eighth Army to Messina, Italy, where the two armies joined forces in the Allied conquest of Sicily.

Fireman 2nd Class Robert Penn: Navy Fireman 2nd Class Robert Penn received the Medal of Honor for his bravery in acting quickly to prevent an explosion aboard USS Iowa during the Spanish-American War.

Oliver Hazard Perry: In July 1813, Oliver Hazard Perry become the first American naval commander to defeat an entire British squadron and successfully bring every ship back to base.

Gen. John J. Pershing: When the armistice ending World War I was declared on Nov. 11, 1918, Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing and his American Expeditionary Force prepared to come home from "over there."

Cook 3rd Class William Pinckney : For his selfless heroics during the fierce Guadalcanal campaign of 1942, this Navy cook was awarded the Navy Cross, making him only the second African American to earn the honor.