201: Lt. Cmdr. Richard “Dick” Best
Pilot at the Battle of Midway
Born: 24 March 1910, Bayonne, New Jersey, United States of America
Died: 28 October 2001, Santa Monica, California, United States of America
Richard graduated from the US Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1932. He would eventually climb to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Richard’s entire service career lasted from 1928 to 1944, when he was medically discharged.
He was awarded the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross, both for his service in World War II, notably at the pivotal Battle of Midway in June 1942 and for his service over the Marshall Islands in February 1942.
Richard was a bomber pilot whose base was the USS Enterprise during the Battle of Midway. Richard’s flight career was especially notable because he was able to assist in the sinking of two Japanese ships, the Akagi and the Hiryū, both aircraft carriers. Richard is believed by some to be the first US naval aviator to assist in the sinking of two aircraft carriers in a single day.
Part of the citation given for when he was awarded the Navy Cross read:
Defying extreme danger from concentrated anti-aircraft barrage and powerful fighter opposition, Lieutenant Commander Best, with bold determination and courageous zeal, led his squadron in dive-bombing assaults against Japanese naval units. Flying at a distance from his own forces which rendered return unlikely because of probable fuel exhaustion, he pressed home his attacks with extreme disregard for his own personal safety.
Despite his bravery and heroism, Richard did not walk away from the Battle of Midway unscathed. He was one of several pilots who experienced oxygen supply issues in their aircraft after reaching over 20,000 feet in altitude. Remember, when the battle of Midway happened, human flight had only been possible for thirty-nine years. Soon after Richard returned to the USS Enterprise following the battle, he began coughing up blood. By the following morning, Richard had a fever of 103°F. He was eventually admitted to the Pearl Harbor Hospital, where the oxygen issue was discovered.
What eventually came out about the issue was pretty scary. Richard had tried to fly his plane at 15,000 feet to mitigate the risks, but this did not do enough. Because of how long he flew the day of the Battle, alongside the heat generated within the rebreather device itself, a chemical reaction caused the sodium hydroxide inside his device to overheat—converting the sodium hydroxide to caustic fumes. Richard breathed in these horrible fumes during the battle, and because he already had a history of latent tuberculosis, the fumes exacerbated his condition. Richard went from having the latent form of tuberculosis, to a full-blown infection, very quickly. He would spend the next thirty-two months in the hospital before being honorably, medically discharged with 100% disability. He would never pilot a plane again, as it was discovered that the damage to his lungs was permanent.
After serving in the Navy, Richard went on to work for Douglas Aircraft Corporation and later Rand Corporation after the two companies merged. At Douglas, Richard worked within the research division, but after moving to Rand he moved to the security department. He retired in 1975.
In his personal life, Richard was married twice, had a son, a daughter, and a stepdaughter. He was also survived by a grandson, according to his obituary.
Richard is buried at Arlington National Cemetery and had a full military ceremony with honors. At the time of his death, Richard was the longest-surviving squadron commander from the Battle of Midway. He was ninety-one years old when he died. An attempt was made for Richard’s name to be put forward for the Medal of Honor after his death, but the efforts were not successful.
Richard is portrayed by Ed Skrein in the 2019 film “Midway,” which I personally think is one of the best World War II films I have ever seen.
Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked
Sources:
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/richard-best-obituary?id=28211718
https://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient/recipient-19777
http://veterantributes.org/TributeDetail.php?recordID=877
https://screenrant.com/what-happened-to-ww2-pilot-dick-best-after-battle-of-midway
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/richard-best-battle-of-midway.html
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8791567/richard-halsey-best