P
eter Tomich earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Tomich worked as the Chief Watertender on the U.S.S. Utah. On the morning of December 7, the Utah was one of the first ships hit by Japanese fire. As the ship began to sink and capsize, Tomich stayed in the engineering plant and kept the boilers from exploding. He gave his life so other members of the crew could escape. Peter Tomich served in the Navy for 22 years. It was his life, and in a sense, his family. When Tomich's Medal of Honor was granted posthumously, he had no family to accept the honor. His medal remained unclaimed until 2006 when it was given to a cousin in Croatia.
Timeline
Birth- 3 June 1893
Prolog, Bosnia
Occupation
Chief Watertender, U.S.S. Utah, Navy
Race or Ethnicity
Croatian
Gender
male
Employment: Employer
U.S. Navy
Employment: Start Date
Jan 1919
Employment: Position
Watertender
Employment: End Date
Dec 1941
Death- 7 Dec 1941-Age: 49 years
killed during attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Other Facts
Full Name
Peter Tomich
Also known as
Petar Tonic
