As a young man, John F. Kennedy joined Navy in 1941. In 1942, Kennedy volunteered for PT (motorized torpedo) boat duty in the Pacific. In July 1943, Kennedy and the crew of PT 109 were ordered into combat near the Solomon Islands. In the middle of the night on August 2, PT 109 was patrolling alongwith PT 162 and PT 169. The three boats spread out to make a picket line across the strait. At about 2:30 in the morning, a shape loomed out of the darkness three hundred yards off PT 109’s starboard bow. The young lieutenant and his crew first believed it to be another PT boat. When it became apparent that it was one of the Japanese destroyers, Kennedy attempted to turn to starboard to bring his torpedoes to bear. But there was not enough time. Their boat was rammed by a Japanese destroyer and caught fire. Several of Kennedy’s shipmates were blown overboard into a sea of burning oil. Kennedy dove in to rescue three of the crew and in the process swallowed some of the toxic mixture. (Kennedy would later blame this for chronic stomach problems.) For 12 hours, Kennedy and his crew clung to the wrecked hull, before he ordered them to abandon ship. Kennedy and the other good swimmers placed the injured on a makeshift raft, and then took turns pushing and towing the raft four miles to safety on a nearby island.

For six days, Kennedy and his crew waited on the island for rescue. They survived by drinking coconut milk and rainwater until native islanders discovered the sailors and offered food and shelter. Every night, Kennedy tried to signal other U.S. Navy ships in the area. He also reportedly scrawled a message on a coconut husk and gestured to the islanders to take it to a nearby PT base at Rendova. Finally, on August 8, a Navy patrol boat picked up the haggard survivors. On June 12, 1944, while he was in the hospital recuperating from back surgery, Kennedy received the Navy and Marine Corps’ highest honor for “courage, endurance and excellent leadership [which] contributed to the saving of several lives and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”

Kennedy went on to become US president in 1961 and was assassinated in 1963.

Reference:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japanese-forces-attack-pt-boat-with-kennedy-on-board

http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/John-F-Kennedy-and-PT109.aspx