PT 109

On August 3, 1943, John F. Kennedy’s PT boat was cut in half by a Japanese destroyer. Despite his own injuries, Lt. Kennedy managed to save the lives of most of his crew. He was 26. He'd grown up a child of privilege but dogged by poor health, not unlike the another boy president, Theodore Roosevelt. The hero of the family was always Jack's older brother, Joe Jr., who would die in combat in August, 1944. JFK appears five times in A Book of Ages.