Fred Faulkner Lester

Frederick “Fred” Faulkner Lester served as a United States Navy hospital corpsman in World War II. He was killed in action on June 8, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa. He was posthumously awarded the nation’s highest military decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor.

Family

Fred was born on April 29, 1926, in Downers Grove, Illinois. He was the son of Frederick William Lester and Minnie Viola Faulkner. The family lived on the 4400 block of Fairview Avenue in Downers Grove.  Fred had three brothers and a sister. As a child, he played in the local prairies in the area where an elementary school would later be built and named in his honor. He attended Downers Grove High School (now Downers Grove North High School). He enlisted before graduating.

World War II Service

Lester and two of his brothers served in World War II. The eldest brother, George, served in the Air Force as a bombardier. Just as he was readying to leave for the European Front, his plane and another collided in mid-air during maneuvers in Florida. George spent a considerable amount of time in the hospital. The second son, Clayton, served in the Navy throughout the war. Fred’s youngest brother, Edward, tried to join but was too young.

Lester enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve as an apprentice seaman in Chicago, Illinois, in November 1943 and completed his basic training at the Naval Training Station in Farragut, Idaho. In January 1944, he advanced to Seaman Second Class and then enrolled in the Naval Hospital Corps School in San Diego. By the following year, he had advanced to Hospital Apprentice First Class and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22d Marines, 6th Marine Division, as a hospital corpsman during the Okinawa Campaign.

Medal of Honor Citation

Lester was awarded the nation’s highest military decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor, for heroic actions above and beyond the call of duty on June 8, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa. In World War II, just 472 United States military personnel received the highest military honor. He is one of two men from Downers Grove, so honored. The other is Wells Howard Blodgett who served in the Civil War.

On May 30, 1946, Rear Admiral F. L. Conklin presented his Medal of Honor to his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Fred W. Lester, at Downers Grove High School (now Downers Grove North High School).

Lester’s Medal of Honor citation reads:

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to
HOSPITAL APPRENTICE FIRST CLASS FRED F. LESTER UNITED STATES NAVY RESERVE for service as set forth in the following

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Medical Corpsman with an Assault Rifle Platoon, attached to the First Battalion, Twenty-second Marines, SIXTH Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa Shima in the Ryukyu Chain, 8 June 1945. Quick to spot a wounded marine lying in an open field beyond the front lines following the relentless assault against a strategic Japanese hill position, LESTER unhesitatingly crawled toward the casualty under a concentrated barrage from hostile machineguns, rifles, and grenades. Torn by enemy rifle bullets as he inched forward, he stoically disregarded the mounting fury of Japanese fire and his own pain to pull the wounded man toward a covered position. Struck by enemy fire a second time before he reached cover, he exerted tremendous effort and succeeded in pulling his comrade to safety where, too seriously wounded himself to administer aid, he instructed 2 of his squad in proper medical treatment of the rescued marine. Realizing that his own wounds were fatal, he staunchly refused medical attention for himself and, gathering his fast-waning strength with calm determination, coolly and expertly directed his men in the treatment of 2 other wounded marines, succumbing shortly thereafter. Completely selfless in his concern for the welfare of his fighting comrades, Lester, by his indomitable spirit, outstanding valor, and competent direction of others, had saved the life of 1 who otherwise must have perished and had contributed to the safety of countless others. LESTER’s fortitude in the face of certain death sustains and enhances the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

Harry Truman

 Decorations

In addition to the Medal of Honor, he was awarded the Purple Heart Medal with 5⁄16″ Gold Star, and a Presidential Unit Citation

His campaign and service medals included the American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with FMF combat device and one 3⁄16″ Bronze Star, and the World War II Victory Medal.

Legacy

Lester was laid to rest at Clarendon Hills Cemetery, Darien, Illinois, near his hometown with full military honors.

As a Medal of Honor recipient, Lester’s service has been recognized in numerous ways.

• Lester School, constructed in 1956, in his hometown of Downers Grove, Illinois, was named in his honor.
• USS Lester (DE-1022), a Dealey-class destroyer escort, was commissioned on 14 June 1957 and decommissioned in 1973. Fred’s mother christened the ship.
• Camp Lester, a base in Okinawa, Japan, was one of eight military installations on Okinawa that were named for Medal of Honor Recipients in 2011.
• Lester Family Medical Clinic at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Okinawa
• Lester Lane, in Darien, Illinois, where Lester is buried, was named in his honor.
• Lester Road, in Park Forest, a post-war planned community, was one of three streets named for Medal of Honor recipients in the newly constructed village.

His name can be found on the following memorials.

• Okinawa Peace Memorial in Okinawa, Japan
• Lester and others who attended District 99 High Schools in Downers Grove, Illinois, and made the ultimate sacrifice are memorialized with plaques at both Downers Grove North and Downers Grove South High School.
• A plaque hanging in the American Legion Alexander Bradley Burns Post 80 Hall in Downers Grove includes Fred Lester’s name. and the names of other young men who died in service during WWII
• A monument in Memorial Park in Downers Grove was dedicated on May 29, 1949, which included Lester among a list of 43 men from Downers Grove, who died in World War II.

Fred Lester’s father, also named Fred, was elected Commander of the American Legion Alexander Bradley Burn Post 80 in Downers Grove in 1949. He was instrumental in acquiring a tract of land on Ogden Avenue, west of Main Street, where the current American Legion Hall was built. It was approximately 49 acres with nearly 700 feet of frontage on Ogden Avenue. The land was offered for sale by a World War I veteran who was retiring to Michigan.

In August 1948, Fred’s mother, as a Gold Star mother, was chosen to christen the Navy’s giant flying boat, Caroline Mars. The ceremony was held on the Lake Michigan lakefront near Burnham Park.

Sources

1. “United States, Census, 1930”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XSYQ-8VM : Sat Mar 09 09:43:22 UTC 2024), Entry for Fred W Lester and Minnie Lester, 1930.
2. “United States, Census, 1940”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KW4L-24H : Mon Jan 20 15:47:31 UTC 2025), Entry for Fred Lester and Minnie Lester, 1940.
3. “Lester Elementary School – Our School,” Illinois School District 58, accessed 8 Nov 2025
4. “Fred Lester and a very busy 1949,” American Legion Post 80, Accessed 8 Nov 2025
5. “Hospital Apprentice First Class Fred F. Lester,” Sixth Marine Division, accessed 8 Nov 2025
6. “World War II – U.S. Navy – Fred Faulkner Lester,” Congressional Medal of Honor Society, accessed 8 Nov 2025
7. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8211045/fred_faulkner-lester: accessed November 8, 2025), memorial page for Fred Faulkner Lester (29 Apr 1926–8 Jun 1945), Find A Grave: Memorial #8211045, citing Clarendon Hills Cemetery, Darien, DuPage County, Illinois, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.
8. Dunham, Montrew, and Pauline Wandschneider, Downers Grove, 1832-1982. (Downers Grove, Ill: Heritage Festival Task Force, 1982)
   “Okinawa bases named for fallen heroes,” 8 Jul 2011, Marine Corps Installations Pacific, accessed 8 Nov 2025
9. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/258017349/fredrick_faulkner-lester: accessed November 8, 2025), memorial page for Fredrick Faulkner “Fred” Lester (29 Apr 1926–8 Jun 1945), Find A Grave: Memorial #258017349, citing 沖縄平和祈念公園　Okinawa Peace Memorial Park（Heiwa Kinen Koen), Itoman-shi, Okinawa, Japan; Maintained by Find a Grave.
10. “Medal of Honor Hero Returned to Suburb For Burial Saturday,” Chicago Tribune, 18 March 1949, page 20
11. “New Village Names Streets Streets after 3 Heroes,” Chicago Tribune, 29 August 1948, page 25
12. Fred Faulkner Lester.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia
13. Fred Faulkner Lester.” WikiTree.com