Carl Jerrold Peterson (31 October 1936 2 April 1969) was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

Lieutenant Commander and the

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

of Patrol River Boat Squadron 57. He was killed in action in Vietnam and buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

. In 1975, the United States Navy named the in his memory.

Biography

Carl Jerrold Peterson was born 31 October 1936 to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Carl A. Peterson, USN, Ret. (1908 1996) of

Tuxedo Park, New York Tuxedo Park is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. Its population was 645 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area as well as the larger New York metropolitan area. Its name ...

and Miriam C. Redden-Peterson (1909 2010), daughter of Connecticut State senator William A. Redden. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

and was commissioned an Ensign in June 1958. According to his Academy Yearbook and the Bridgeport Post, he was from

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...

and lived at 388 Midland for much of his youth. He was said to "play a mean attack on the

lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...

field" and he was a valuable member of the crew of the USNA's yacht, ''Freedom''. Lieutenant Commander Peterson then served successive tours at sea in and . In 1962, he was assigned to the office of the

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...

, and in 1964 to the staff of Commander Middle East Force. From 1966 to 1968 Lieutenant Commander Peterson served as Operations Officer aboard and participated in eight major amphibious assaults against enemy forces in Vietnam. Lieutenant Commander Peterson was credited with developing the command and control techniques for debarking troops simultaneously by air and sea amphibious transports successfully employed in these assaults. In December 1968, Lieutenant Commander Peterson volunteered for duties in Vietnam and subsequently commanded Patrol River Boat Squadron 57 operating in the waterways of the

Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( or simply ), also known as the Western Region () or South-western region (), is the list of regions of Vietnam, region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong, Mekong River River delta, approaches and empties into the sea th ...

. According to the US Navy, Carl Peterson was singularly responsible for the success of many joint quick reaction operations designed to draw out and destroy enemy forces. On 2 April 1969, while embarked in an assault support patrol boat transiting the

Vàm Cỏ Đông River The Vàm Cỏ Đông River () is a river of Vietnam. It flows through the provinces of Tây Ninh, Long An and is 220 kilometres long.It is part of the Đồng Nai River The Đồng Nai River ( ) is a river in Vietnam that originates in the Cent ...

to his command center in , Lieutenant Commander Peterson was mortally wounded when an enemy rocket detonated against his vessel. He was buried at

Awards and honors

His awards include the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

with Combat Distinguishing Device (awarded posthumously) and the

Navy Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fift ...

with Combat Distinguishing Device. USS ''Peterson'' was named in his honor. His name is listed on the

Vietnam Veterans Memorial The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, commonly called the Vietnam Memorial, is a U.S. national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring service members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War. The site is dominated by two black granit ...

Panel 27W, Row 1.

References

External links

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund – Carl J. Peterson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Carl Jerrold 1936 births 1969 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from Bridgeport, Connecticut People from Orange County, New York United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy personnel killed in the Vietnam War