WWII chaplain who died ministering to sailors in shark-infested waters denied Navy Cross

WATERBURY, Conn. – The Navy has rejected the Navy Cross for a chaplain who died ministering to sailors in shark-filled waters after a ship was torpedoed in World War II.

The Republican-American reports (http://bit.ly/17Paz16 ) that Waterbury's Veterans Memorial Committee sought the honor for Lt. Thomas Michael Conway, a Catholic priest born in Waterbury.

The committee last year submitted documents to the Navy, including testimony from survivors, letters from Conway's family and other materials.

The Navy refuted some of the documentation and cited Navy regulations requiring those nominating sailors for awards to be of higher rank than the nominee. No survivors of the USS Indianapolis torpedoed in 1945 meet that requirement.

Bob Dorr of the Waterbury Veterans Memorial Committee said he's disappointed. He says enlisted men appear to be precluded from making award recommendations.

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Information from: Republican-American, http://www.rep-am.com