John Albert O'Toole

John Albert O’Toole, born in Boston, Massachusetts, May 16, 1916, entered the U.S. Naval Reserve as Ensign May 7, 1942.

North Africa Assignment
Assigned to USS Joseph Hewes (AP-50) following instruction at the Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School in Chicago, Illinois, he commanded a boat wave from that transport during the assault on Fedhala, Morocco, November 8, 1942.

Awarded the Navy Cross
Killed while withdrawing from the beach, Ensign O’Toole was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for “his great personal valor and relentless fighting spirit ... “ as he led his wave to the beach and calmly directed the offloading of men and materiel, despite heavy artillery fire from the enemy.