Nathan Green Gordon

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For other people named Nathan Gordon, see Nathan Gordon (disambiguation).

Nathan Green Gordon

10th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas

In office

January 14, 1947 – January 10, 1967

Governor Benjamin Travis Laney

Sid McMath

Francis Cherry

Orval Faubus

Preceded by James L. Shaver

Succeeded by Maurice Britt

Personal details
 Born September 4, 1916

Morrilton, Arkansas

Died September 8, 2008 (aged 92)

Little Rock, Arkansas

Political party Democratic

Profession Lawyer

Awards Medal of Honor

Distinguished Flying Cross (2)

Air Medal (6)

Military service

Allegiance United States of America

Branch/service United States Navy

Years of service 1941–1945

Rank Lieutenant

Unit VP-34 "Black Cats"

Battles/wars World War II

Nathan Green Gordon (September 4, 1916 – September 8, 2008) was an American

lawyer, politician, and decorated naval aviator. A Democrat, he served as the
tenth Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas for ten terms, from 1947 to 1967. As a United
States Navy officer in World War II, he received the U.S. military's highest decoration—
the Medal of Honor—for rescuing the crews of several downed airplanes.

Contents

 1Biography
  2Medal of Honor mission
 3Medal of Honor citation
 4See also
 5References
 6External links

Biography[edit]
Gordon was born in Morrilton, the seat of Conway County in central Arkansas, to
Edward Gordon and the former Ada Ruth Bearden. After attending Morrilton public
schools through the 10th grade, he graduated from Columbia Military Academy,
in Columbia, Tennessee, in 1933, where he was salutatorian. [1] Gordon then went on to
college at Arkansas Polytechnic College in Russellville.[1][2] While enrolled in Arkansas
Polytechnical College, he enlisted in Battery D, 206th Coast Artillery, Arkansas Army
National Guard. Following graduation, he attend law school at the University of
Arkansas in Fayetteville. While attending law school Gordon joined Sigma Nu
Fraternity and served as chapter president.[1] He graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in
1939.[3]
Gordon practiced law in his hometown of Morrilton before joining the Navy in May 1941.
After qualifying as a naval aviator, he was sent to the southwest Pacific Ocean, where
he would serve more than two years.[2] He joined Patrol Squadron 34, nicknamed the
"Black Cats", a PBY Catalina patrol and rescue squadron based at Samarai Advanced
Seaplane Base in Milne Bay, New Guinea.
By February 15, 1944, he was a lieutenant, junior grade, in command of a Catalina,
Bureau Number 08139, which he nicknamed Arkansas Traveler.[2][4] On that day, Gordon
rescued 15 survivors of several downed aircraft of the United States Army Air Forces,
for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor . He was subsequently promoted to
lieutenant,[4] and served in the Navy until 1945, when he was released from active duty. [3]
After the war, Gordon formed a business partnership with his brother, Edward Gordon,
Jr., and returned to the practice of law in Morrilton. [3] His political career began in 1946,
when he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas under Governor Benjamin
Travis Laney. He took office in January 1947 and was re-elected to nine more two-year
terms, finally leaving office in January 1967. During his tenure he served under four
different Governors: Laney (1945–1949), Sid McMath (1949–1953), Francis
Cherry (1953–1955), and Orval Faubus (1955–1967).[2]
Gordon did not seek reelection in 1966, with Maurice L. Britt winning the election
against James Pilkinton.
The Arkansas Aviation Historical Society selected Gordon in 1980 as one of five initial
inductees in the Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame.

Medal of Honor mission[edit]

On February 15, the Fifth Air Force attacked Kavieng on the island of New Ireland. The
mission consisted of four squadrons of A-20 Havocs from the 3rd Bombardment
Group that attacked shipping in the harbor, and seven squadrons of B-25's from
the 38th and 345th Groups that bombed facilities along the harbor front.
Accurate antiaircraft fire shot down eight of the low-level strafers.
Gordon's PBY Catalina, Arkansas Traveler, was on station near Witu, escorted by
four P-47 Thunderbolts of the 348th Fighter Group. In one of the "most striking rescues
of the war," he made four separate landings and take-offs under Japanese fire. On his
first landing, endangered by waves that were breaking 16 to 18 feet high, he searched
for the crew of a downed A-20 without locating survivors. The aircraft was severely
stressed and took on water from numerous burst seams.
After taking off, Gordon was directed twice to pick up nine men of two B-25s that had
ditched, forced to shut down one or both engines to effect the rescues, while two other
B-25s strafed the Japanese gun positions to suppress their fire. After the PBY started
back to base and its fighter escorts had departed, low on fuel, one of the B-25s spotted
two rafts and called back the rescue aircraft. Despite heavy seas and a damaged
aircraft, Lt.(j.g.) Gordon executed another landing only 600 yards from shore, overflying
Japanese gun positions at low level to land, and picked up an additional six airmen. His
final takeoff with 24 men aboard was with a dangerously overloaded aircraft, but he
managed to keep the Catalina's nose up until he reached flying speed without nosing
over in the rough seas.
Gordon received the Medal of Honor in September 1944, and his crew of eight each
received the Silver Star.

Medal of Honor citation[edit]

Lieutenant Gordon's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
For extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty as commander of a
Catalina patrol plane in rescuing personnel of the U.S. Army 5th Air Force shot down in
combat over Kavieng Harbor in the Bismarck Sea, February 15, 1944. On air alert in the
vicinity of Vitu Islands, Lt. (then Lt. j.g.) Gordon unhesitatingly responded to a report of
the crash and flew boldly into the harbor, defying close-range fire from enemy shore
guns to make 3 separate landings in full view of the Japanese and pick up 9 men,
several of them injured. With his cumbersome flying boat dangerously overloaded, he
made a brilliant takeoff despite heavy swells and almost total absence of wind and set a
course for base, only to receive the report of another group stranded in a rubber life raft
600 yards from the enemy shore. Promptly turning back, he again risked his life to set
his plane down under direct fire of the heaviest defenses of Kavieng and take aboard 6
more survivors, coolly making his fourth dexterous takeoff with 15 rescued officers and
men. By his exceptional daring, personal valor, and incomparable airmanship under
most perilous conditions, Lieutenant Gordon prevented certain death or capture of our
airmen by the Japanese.[4]

See also[edit]
 List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Nathan Green Gordon (1916-2008)".
Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b c d "About The Office". Arkansas Lieutenant
Governors Office. 2007. Archived from the original  on August
27, 2007. Retrieved December 14,  2007.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Nathan Gordon Papers". University of
Arkansas Libraries. Retrieved  December 14, 2007.
4. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Medal of Honor recipients – World War II
(G–L)".  Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center
of Military History. July 16, 2007. Retrieved  August 22,  2007.

External links[edit]
 "Pacific Wrecks.com: "Nathan G. Gordon, PBY pilot
and Medal of Honor"". Archived from the original on
July 24, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
 ""Black Cat Rescue", artwork of rescue mission by
Nicholas Trudgian". Retrieved October 4, 2010.
 ""Flight Out of Hell" By Steven D. Smith" .
Retrieved December 5, 2017.
 Arkansas Lieutenant Governors Office

Political offices

Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas Succeeded by

James L. Shaver 1947–1967 Maurice Britt

show

Lieutenant governors of Arkansas

Portals:
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World War II

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Categories: 
 1916 births
  2008 deaths
 Military personnel from Arkansas
 People from Morrilton, Arkansas
 University of Arkansas alumni
 Arkansas lawyers
 United States Navy officers
 United States Navy personnel of World War II
 United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
 Lieutenant Governors of Arkansas
 Recipients of the Air Medal
 Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United
States)
 World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor
 20th-century American politicians
 Arkansas Democrats
 20th-century American lawyers
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