Don P. Moon
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Don Pardee Moon (18 Apr 1894 - 5 Aug 1944) was a United States Navy Rear-Admiral who fought in the invasion of Europe. He was born in Kokomo, Indiana, USA. He married and had four children.
He joined the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated June 1916, being particularly efficient in gunnery. He was assigned to the battleship Arizona and whilst there developed several of instruments to improve gunnery. He later served in the battleships Colorado and Nevada before returning to shore in 1926.
By 1934 he was Commanding Officer of the Asiatic Fleet destroyer John D. Ford. He was put in command of a destroyer division in 1940 and became a Captain in 1941. He took part in the Torch invasion of Africa in 1942. In 1944 he was promoted to Rear Admiral. During the 6 June 1944 invasion of Normandy he directed the landings on "Utah" Beach from USS Bayfield. For three weeks the Bayfield was in position of Utah beach and officers and men were on four hour rotating shifts for this entire time. Shortly afterwards the Bayfield was sent to Naples to for the invasion of Southern France. However on 5 August 1944, Moon shot himself with his .45 calibre pistol. His suicide was blamed on battle fatigue.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- D-Day 1944 - Voices from Normandy, Robert Neillands and Roderick de Normann, Cold Spring Press, New York, 2004 ISBN 1-59360-012-7
[edit] External links
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