David John Roche

David John Roche
Born	December 2, 1918(1918-12-02) Hibbing, Minnesota
Died	June 4, 1942(1942-06-04) (aged 23) Midway Atoll
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1940–1942
Rank	ensign
Unit	Torpedo Squadron 3 (VT-3)
Battles/wars	World War II *Battle of Midway
Awards	Navy Cross (posthumous)

David John Roche, born in Hibbing, Minnesota December 2, 1918 enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve as seaman second class on November 13, 1939. He was appointed aviation cadet effective February 15, 1940, designated naval aviator (heavier-than-air), October 14, and became an ensign, USNR, effective October 21, 1940. Following training at Pensacola Naval Air Station, he was assigned to Torpedo Squadron 3 and reported for duty on December 1. He was officially reported missing in action as of June 4, 1942, when the plane he was piloting was shot down in the Battle of Midway. For pressing home his torpedo attack on Japanese naval units in the face of tremendous antiaircraft fire and overwhelming fighter opposition, he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.

Namesake

In 1943, the destroyer escort USS Roche (DE-197) was named in his honor.

References

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

• "Roche". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/r8/roche.htm. Retrieved March 23, 2007. 

Persondata
Name	Roche, David John
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 2, 1918
Place of birth	Hibbing, Minnesota
Date of death	June 4, 1942
Place of death	Midway Atoll