Medal of Honor Monday: Navy Lt. Rufus Herring

Navy Lt. Rufus Geddie Herring was in command of a gunboat supporting a reconnaissance mission before the Battle of Iwo Jima kicked off when his ship came under heavy enemy fire. Despite serious wounds, Herring managed to fire back and steer his vessel to safety, all without leaving any of the recon team behind. For his bravery and leadership, he received the Medal of Honor.  

Herring was born on June 11, 1921, in Roseboro, North Carolina, to Troy and Susan Herring. He had an older brother also named Troy.  

Herring attended Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, graduating with a degree in economics in the spring of 1942. Since World War II was raging at the time, Herring decided to enlist in the Navy shortly after graduation. He attended the Naval Reserve Midshipman School in New York City before commissioning as an ensign in December 1943.  

Herring went on to serve on LCI(G) 449, a large landing craft infantry gunboat that took part in amphibious assaults on Pacific islands such as Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian and Guam.  

Preparations for the Battle of Iwo Jima were well underway in February 1945, and Herring’s gunboat, as a unit of LCI(G) Group 8, was in the thick of it. By that time, then-Lt. j.g. Herring was the ship’s commanding officer. He had just relieved the previous commander, Lt. Cmdr. Willard Nash, who moved up to command seven LCI gunboats, including LCI(G) 449. 

Those seven gunboats took part in a pre-invasion mission, Feb. 17, 1945, on the tiny volcanic island of Iwo Jima, providing close-range cover fire for four underwater demolition teams carrying out beach reconnaissance. Unfortunately, around 11 a.m., Japanese defensive positions on the beach mistook the reconnaissance for an actual invasion and opened fire on the gunboats, which were within 1,500 yards of the beach.  

The boats were hit repeatedly by mortars, artillery and machine gun fire; however, none were willing to leave behind the demolition teams still in the water. 449 was particularly hard hit, but it stood its ground. Herring directed barrages of 40-mm and 20-mm gunfire toward the shore before the boat was hit by gunfire that damaged the LCI’s heavy guns, set the deck on fire and knocked Herring out.  

Herring eventually regained consciousness, only to be struck again and critically wounded by an enemy mortar that crashed through the boat’s conning station, destroying the navigational control and instantly killing or severely wounding most of the officers onboard.  

When Herring recovered a second time, he climbed down to the pilot house, and despite his rapidly waning strength, took over the helm and reestablished communications with the engine room.  

At one point, Herring was no longer able to stand, so he propped himself against empty shell cases and rallied his men to help the wounded. He also kept the boat in position to continue firing its 20-mm guns at the enemy on shore until all demolition team members had been recovered. Herring then directed the steering of the crippled vessel until it made it to safety.  

During the melee, 21 men on 449 were killed and 20 more were wounded. Herring himself was hospitalized for serious injuries but recovered. During his hospitalization, he fell in love with a nurse named Virginia Higgs. The pair married in 1947 and had three children.  

In September 1945, after World War II ended, Herring received the Medal of Honor from Navy Secretary James Forrestal during a ceremony in Washington. Four other sailors, all hospital corpsmen, were also awarded the high honor for their actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Those included Francis J. Pierce, George E. Wahlen, Jack Williams and John H. Willis. 

Herring was transferred to the retired list at the rank of lieutenant commander in April 1947. He and his wife returned to his hometown of Roseboro, where Herring joined his brother as a partner in a lumber business. He also pursued a career in the poultry business, and from 1947 to 1950 was the town’s mayor. Herring was a member of the United Methodist Church and even chaired the Sampson County Board of Education at one point before retiring in 1982.  

Herring died Jan. 31, 1996, and was buried in Roseboro’s Hollywood Cemetery.  

The town has honored Herring in many ways since. A few months after his death, the Roseboro National Guard Armory was dedicated in his name. A section of highway in the town was named in Herring’s honor in 2018, and a memorial at a veterans’ park in nearby Clinton, North Carolina, also honored him.

This article is part of a weekly series called “Medal of Honor Monday” in which we highlight one of the more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients who have received the U.S. military’s highest medal for valor.