Every now and then, Washington does something worth celebrating.
Congressman Jimmy Patronis of Florida has put forward an amendment that would authorize the President to award the Medal of Honor to six American heroes of the Battle of Midway: Commander Clarence W. McClusky, Lieutenant Commander Max F. Leslie, Lieutenant Commander Eugene E. Lindsey, Lieutenant Commander Lance E. Massey, Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron, and Lieutenant Richard H. Best. The official amendment text names all six men and authorizes the Medal of Honor for their acts of valor during Navy combat operations near Midway Atoll on June 4, 1942.
That is worth saying plainly.
This is a major step forward.
The House Rules Committee lists the Patronis amendment as Amendment 1111, Version 2, to H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027. Even more importantly, the committee status shows the amendment was “Made in Order,” meaning this effort has moved beyond polite applause and into the real legislative process.
That matters. Because the Midway Six are not obscure footnotes. They are not names that belong in the back of a dusty naval archive. They are six men whose courage helped change the course of World War II.
The Battle That Changed the Pacific
On June 4, 1942, America was still reeling from Pearl Harbor. The Pacific War was young, violent, uncertain, and dangerous. Japan’s carrier fleet had been the terror of the Pacific. The enemy believed it could stretch its empire farther, crush American naval power, and force the United States into a defensive crouch.
Instead, American intelligence, American grit, American seamanship, and American courage produced one of the most important victories in military history.
At Midway, American naval aviators flew into the teeth of enemy fighters and anti-aircraft fire. Torpedo squadrons were mauled. Dive bombers hunted for the enemy fleet with fuel running low and time running out. Commanders made decisions under impossible pressure. Pilots pressed attacks when survival was far from guaranteed.
The official amendment text describes the acts of valor as actions by these six Navy men during combat operations near Midway Atoll that led to the sinking of four enemy aircraft carriers. The House Rules Committee summary calls Midway the turning point of the Pacific War with “momentous strategic consequences.”
That phrase, “momentous strategic consequences,” is government language for something much larger and much more human.
It means the tide turned.
It means the Japanese offensive machine was stopped.
It means American fighting men took the initiative back in the Pacific.
It means the world changed because brave Americans did their duty when everything was on the line.
The Men Behind the Amendment
The Midway Six deserve to be named every time this amendment is discussed.
Commander Clarence W. McClusky made the kind of battlefield decision that defines history. His leadership helped bring American dive bombers to the Japanese fleet at the decisive moment.
Lieutenant Commander Max F. Leslie led Yorktown’s dive bombers into the fight, pressing forward in one of the most consequential attacks of the war.
Lieutenant Commander Eugene E. Lindsey led Torpedo Squadron Six into overwhelming danger, giving everything in an attack that helped pull enemy defenses into chaos.
Lieutenant Commander Lance E. Massey led Torpedo Squadron Three into a brutal fight against enemy fighters and anti-aircraft fire.
Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron led Torpedo Squadron Eight with extraordinary courage, pushing forward against impossible odds.
Lieutenant Richard H. Best played a central role in the dive-bomber attacks that crippled Japan’s carrier force and helped deliver the decisive blow at Midway.
These men were not spectators to history. They were makers of history.
They flew into danger because America needed them. They fought with a level of courage that deserves more than admiration. It deserves the highest military honor this country can bestow.
Give Credit Where It Is Due
Congressman Patronis deserves credit for putting this amendment forward.
This is exactly the kind of thing members of Congress should be doing. Honor the people who defended this country. Correct historical omissions. Use the power of public office to make sure American heroes are remembered by name, not buried under procedure, time limits, or bureaucratic indifference.
The amendment does something specific and important. It authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor notwithstanding time limitations in federal law. That is the legislative key. Without that kind of authorization, deserving cases from World War II can remain trapped behind procedural barriers.
The Patronis amendment says the country can still act.
The country can still remember.
The country can still honor its heroes.
This Is the Moment to Push
The Honor American Heroes campaign has been calling attention to the Midway Six and urging Americans to support the effort to award them the Medal of Honor. Their latest update lays out the importance of the Patronis amendment and calls on supporters to contact their members of Congress, sign the petition, and share the story.
That is the right move.
This amendment should be treated as a rally point. Every veteran group, every military history organization, every patriotic American, every citizen who believes courage should be honored should be talking about this.
Contact your representative. Tell them to support the Patronis amendment to H.R. 8800. Tell them the Midway Six deserve the Medal of Honor. Tell them this is one of those moments where Congress can do something clean, correct, and deeply American.
There is no partisan calculation needed here. There is no ideological gymnastics required. We are looking at six American naval aviators who helped win one of the most decisive battles of the Second World War. We are looking at courage, sacrifice, leadership, and victory.
That should be enough.
America Should Remember Its Heroes While It Still Can
One of the ugliest habits in modern America is the way we allow real heroes to fade while elevating empty celebrities, political influencers, and corporate slogans. We spend endless hours arguing over people who did nothing for this country while men who helped save the free world wait eight decades for the recognition they earned in combat.
The Patronis amendment pushes back against that decay.
It says the men who fought at Midway still matter.
It says the Battle of Midway still matters.
It says America is still capable of looking backward with gratitude and forward with purpose.
That is why this amendment deserves support. That is why it deserves attention. That is why it deserves to be shared everywhere.
Commander Clarence W. McClusky. Lieutenant Commander Max F. Leslie. Lieutenant Commander Eugene E. Lindsey. Lieutenant Commander Lance E. Massey. Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron. Lieutenant Richard H. Best.
Say their names. Share their story. Support the amendment.
Honor the Midway Six.
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