OK Congressional delegation asks Navy to name ship in honor of Checotah's heroic WWII sailor Paul Henry Carr

This is such a great idea. A year ago, I read 'The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors' by James D. Hornfischer (highly recommend), which focuses on an major but lesser-known naval engagement in the Pacific during WWII, the Battle off Samar (part of the larger Battle of Leyte Gulf). 

Oklahoma had several native sons who received the highest military honors for their gallant service during this unequal conflict between a lightly armed/armored American naval task force ("tin cans") and the biggest, baddest ships the Japanese navy had afloat - including the battleship Yamato, heaviest ever built and with the largest guns ever placed on a ship. Checotah's Paul Henry Carr is one of those heroes; you can read more about him here, here, and here (Muskogee's Ernest E. Evans was another).

Lankford Leads Oklahoma Congressional Delegation to Request US Navy Ship Naming to Honor Oklahoma WWII Sailor

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today led the Oklahoma congressional delegation in a letter to Secretary of the United States Navy Carlos Del Torro to recommend the naming of a new Constellation-class frigate in honor of Oklahoman Paul Henry Carr, from Checotah, Oklahoma, who gave his last full measure of devotion to our nation aboard the USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in World War II.

Memorial to WWII 'Taffy 3' hero to be dedicated in Muskogee this morning

If you've never read the story of Task Force 3, the Battle off Samar, and the heroes of that cataclysmic clash of sea and steel like Oklahomans Ernest E. Evans and Paul Henry Carr, you need to remedy that immediately. Go read The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, by James D. Hornfischer. It's a story of unparalleled heroism and sacrifice that has been largely forgotten.

I'm thrilled that Muskogee is recognizing Commander Evans with this memorial.

From the Muskogee Phoenix:

A dedication ceremony will be held on Tuesday, October 25 at 10:00 a.m. at Depot Green to dedicate a memorial to a Muskogee soldier who was posthumously awarded a Medal of Honor for his heroic efforts during World War II. Commander Ernest E. Evans was killed in battle on October 25, 1944.