Jacob Poroo

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Jacob Poroo
Died Template:Death date
Alaska
Nationality United States
Other names Jacob Lauri Arthur Poroo
Occupation sailor
Known for namesake of a USCG cutter

Jacob Poroo was a medic for the United States Coast Guard who died of burns suffered when fire struck the remote Alaskan base he was assigned to, on June 2, 1968.[1][2] The recreation hall of the Loran station at Adak, Alaska, started to burn on June 2, 1968.[3]

After Poroo and other men escaped from a burning building he re-entered it after hearing cries for help.[1][4] After he had been terribly burned a head count determined that no one was missing. A Coast Guard account of the event records that, even though he was horribly burned himself, Poroo guided uninjured men in how to properly care for those who had been burned.

Poroo died on June 18, 1968.[3]

Legacy

A posthumous Coast Guard Medal was awarded to Poroo.[4]

In 2010, Charles "Skip" W. Bowen, who was then the Coast Guard's most senior non-commissioned officer, proposed that all 58 cutters in the Sentinel class should be named after enlisted sailors in the Coast Guard, or one of its precursor services, who were recognized for their heroism.[5][6][7] In 2015 the Coast Guard announced that Jacob Poroo would be the namesake of the 25th cutter, USCGC Jacob L. A. Poroo.[8] She was built in Lockport, Louisiana, at the Bollinger shipyards, and delivered to the Coast Guard on September 5, 2017. After completing her sea trials, the cutter was commissioned on December 8, 2017.[9]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Christopher Havern (2014-01-29). "Coast Guard Heroes: Jacob Lauri Arthur Poroo". Archived from the original on 2017-09-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20170910082442/http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2014/01/coast-guard-heroes-jacob-lauri-arthur-poroo/. Retrieved 2016-04-15. 
  2. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Steven W. Cantrell (2014-11-19). "Late last week, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Steven W. Cantrell joined Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard Vice Adm. Peter Neffenger at a dinner to celebrate the naming of the next 11 Coast Guard Fast Response Cutters.". US Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2017-09-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20170915004344/https://www.facebook.com/MCPOCGCantrell/posts/637098893067541. Retrieved 2017-09-14. "Jacob Poroo was posthumously awarded the Coast Guard Medal for his heroic action after suffering fatal burns received during his efforts to attempt a rescue and respond to a building fire at the LORAN station in Adak, Alaska in 1968." 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Loran Station Adak". Archived from the original on 2017-06-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20170602211449/http://www.loran-history.info/Adak/adak.htm. Retrieved 2017-09-14. "Fire in old recreation room, HS1 Jacob Lauri Arthur Poroo succumbed to injuries died 18 JUN 1968." 
  4. 4.0 4.1 U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office. "Jacob Lauri Arthur Poroo". Military Times. Archived from the original on 2017-09-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20170915004449/http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=308249. Retrieved 2017-09-14. "His outstanding courage, intrepidity, and unselfish actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard." 
  5. Susan Schept (2010-03-22). "Enlisted heroes honored". United States Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2011-12-03. http://militarytimes.com/blogs/scoopdeck/2010/03/22/enlisted-heroes-honored/. Retrieved 2013-02-01. "After the passing of several well-known Coast Guard heroes last year, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles “Skip” Bowen mentioned in his blog that the Coast Guard does not do enough to honor its fallen heroes." 
  6. "U.S. Coast Guard announces name for first Sentinel-class cutter". 2010-03-22. http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/786/502127/. Retrieved 2013-02-01. "Previously designated to be named the Coast Guard Cutter Sentinel, the cutter Bernard C. Webber will be the first of the service’s new 153-foot patrol cutters. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen approved the change of the cutter’s name to allow this class of vessels to be named after outstanding enlisted members who demonstrated exceptional heroism in the line of duty. This will be the first class of cutters to be named exclusively for enlisted members of the Coast Guard and its predecessor services." 
  7. "FRC Plan B: The Sentinel Class". Defense Industry Daily. 2014-05-02. Archived from the original on 2014-07-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20140707003537/http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/voted-off-the-island-the-uscgs-deepwater-frc-program-03160/. Retrieved 2014-04-03. "All of these boats will be named after enlisted Coast Guard heroes, who distinguished themselves in USCG or military service. The first 25 have been named, but only 8 have been commissioned..." 
  8. "USCG receives Fast Response Cutter, USCGC Jacob Poroo". Naval Today. 2017-09-07. Archived from the original on 2017-09-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20170909204826/https://navaltoday.com/2017/09/07/uscg-receives-fast-response-cutter-uscgc-jacob-poroo/. Retrieved 2017-09-14. "This vessel is named after Coast Guard Hero Jacob Poroo. For heroic and courageous action during his efforts to attempt a rescue and respond to a major building fire at the LORAN station in Adak, Alaska in 1968, Poroo was posthumously awarded the Coast Guard Medal." 
  9. "New Cutter to Be Commissioned in New Orleans". US News and World Report. 2017-12-07. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/louisiana/articles/2017-12-07/new-cutter-to-be-commissioned-in-new-orleans. Retrieved 2018-02-12. "The Coast Guard says in a news release that the Jacob Poroo is a Sentinel-class fast response cutter. It's designed for a variety of missions including drug and migrant interdiction; security of ports and waterways; fishery patrols and search and rescue missions."