Held to a Higher Standard: A Son’s Journey to Honor His Father

Written by Brenda S. Bear (brendasbear@gmail.com). Please do not copy or share my writing without my permission. Thank you for reading my stories.

When I asked Ben Pugh if he had any information about his father’s military service, he said he did. A few days later, he visited Vanceburg and left behind three photo albums filled with newspaper clippings, awards- an extraordinary record of his father’s time in the U.S. Navy.

Known to family and friends as Tom, Lieutenant Commander Pugh was a Vanceburg native and a graduate of Lewis County High School. He earned a reputation as a local sports legend, excelling in baseball, basketball, and football. After high school, he attended Marshall University to fulfill a prerequisite for an appointment he had earned to the U.S. Naval Academy. He entered the Academy in 1940 and graduated in 1943, just as World War II was underway. Before shipping out, he married his high school sweetheart, Joyce Stout.

Tom was assigned to the USS Pruitt, a destroyer and minelayer stationed near Guadalcanal, the largest island in the Solomon Islands and the site of a pivotal World War II battle. It was here that Allied forces secured a critical victory over the Japanese. According to Tom’s son, Ben, the fighting in the area was some of the most intense of the war, marking the first time U.S. ground troops directly engaged and defeated Japanese forces in WWII.

In 1944, Tom Pugh requested a transfer from sea duty, he wanted to fly. He went to Pensacola, Florida, for pilot training. By the time he completed his certifications, World War II had ended, but Tom continued serving as a naval aviator with the Navy Air Corps.

When North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, igniting the Korean War, Tom Pugh was assigned to the USS Valley Forge (CV-45), one of the first American ships to respond to the conflict. At the time, Pugh served as executive officer to the Commander of Naval Forces in the Pacific, a prestigious role, but his heart was in the skies. Determined to fly, he requested a combat assignment and was soon piloting the Douglas A-1 Skyraider (AD-4), a rugged, single-seat dive bomber built for close combat.

Pugh joined Fighter Squadron 194 aboard the Valley Forge, tasked with a dangerous mission: bombing a train marshaling yard to cut off supply lines to enemy troops. Now a Squadron Commander and a Lieutenant Commander, he led 16 aircraft into hostile territory with courage and precision. For his leadership and bravery under fire, Tom Pugh was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, an honor second only to the Medal of Honor.

In December 1951, at just 31 years old, Tom’s plane went down off Wonsan Bay, North Korea, 100 miles from the carrier. Leaking hydraulic fluid, he was attempting to return without being captured. Though he managed to escape the wreckage, he succumbed to the brutal cold during the hour and ten minutes it took for a rescue cruiser to reach him. Temperatures at the time were reported to be nearly 20 degrees below zero.

He left behind a wife and three young children, along with a legacy that still resonates in the community he once called home. His story is one of unwavering determination, deep pride, and quiet heroism.

Thomas was transported back to Vanceburg where he was buried with honors in Woodlawn Cemetery. A monument at Vanceburg’s Veteran’s Memorial Park was also erected in honor of Pugh in 1996.

His son Ben sought an appointment to the military academy, but was denied due to color blindness. Instead, he pursued a career in business, and in 1984 became president of Citizens Deposit Bank, transforming it from a $45 million institution into an $850 million holding company. In 2001, he moved to Cincinnati to serve as Vice President of Huntington Bank. Throughout his life, his goal remained the same: to make his father proud. Ben was just two and a half years old when his father was killed.

Tom Pugh was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Korean War Service Medal.

Written by Brenda S. Bear (brendasbear@gmail.com)