Rank and organization:   Seaman First Class, U.S. Navy.
Birth:   10 September
1921, Springfield, Ohio.
Entered service at:   Springfield, Ohio.
For conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and complete disregard
of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, during the attack on the
Fleet in Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. When it was
seen that the U.S.S. Oklahoma was going to capsize and the order was given
to abandon ship, Ward remained in a turret holding a flashlight so the
remainder of the turret crew could see to escape, thereby sacrificing his
This data was extracted from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863-1973 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1973)