Medal of Honor hero Ernest E. Evans at the Battle off Samar

Nov 17 , 2025

Medal of Honor hero Ernest E. Evans at the Battle off Samar

Ernest E. Evans stared into the maelstrom—a hell-bent sea of fire and steel. The enemy bore down, ships like demons from a nightmare, and his destroyer, USS John C. Butler, was alone. Outgunned, outnumbered, and surrounded, Evans gripped the wheel with a soldier’s grit and a leader’s heart. He made a choice: fight, no matter the cost.

Born to Stand and Fight

Ernest Edwin Evans grew up in Wyoming, a land of rugged beauty and harsh truths. Raised by a family grounded in tough values, he learned early what loyalty and courage demanded. His faith wasn’t loud but steady—a quiet ballast against chaos. “The Lord is my strength and my shield,” Psalm 28:7 echoed silently in his mind as he went to war, a soldier’s armor deeper than metal.

Evans was no stranger to hardship. Enlisting before the war’s end, he rose quickly through the Naval ranks. His men called him “Tex” despite Wyoming roots—because he carried the cowboy’s grit and a zealous sense of duty. The code he lived by was simple: protect your crew. Lead from the front. Live and die by honor.

Into the Inferno: The Battle off Samar

October 25, 1944. The sky boiled over the Philippine Sea. Evans commanded the USS John C. Butler, one of six destroyer escorts in “Taffy 3,” a small task unit screening escort carriers of the Seventh Fleet. Suddenly the peaceful morning shattered: a Japanese battleship task force— battleships, cruisers, destroyers, all steaming full speed straight at them.

The odds? Forty-one to six ships in favor of the Japanese. Grossly outmatched in firepower. Yet no hesitation.

Evans ordered full speed, closing within a thousand yards of the enemy battleship Kirishima. John C. Butler fired torpedoes, blasted guns, weaving in and out of hellfire. His destroyer became a lightning rod, drawing Japanese fire to save the vulnerable escort carriers. Smoke and flame cloaked the ship. His flagship took hit after hit. Evans himself was repeatedly exposed on deck, urging his crew onward.

He shouted orders over the roar of battle: “Do your duty and damn the odds!”

His sacrificial aggression delayed the Japanese advance crucially. Two torpedoes found their marks, crippling the Kirishima. But the John C. Butler did not survive. A massive shell tore into Evans’s bridge, killing him instantly.

Valor Carved in Steel and Blood

For valor beyond measure, Lieutenant Commander Evans received the Medal of Honor posthumously.[¹] The citation captures his unyielding spirit:

"By his superb leadership, unflinching courage, and valiant devotion to duty, Lt. Cmdr. Evans inflict[ed] serious damage on immensely superior enemy forces and [brought] the task force to victory at the sacrifice of his own life."

Survivors remembered a leader who refused to surrender hope. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz said of the battle:

“The sight of those small ships charging the might of Japan’s fleet was unforgettable. Men like Evans carried the fight when it could not be carried.”

The John C. Butler became a legend, a living symbol of David standing giant against Goliath.

Legacy of Fire and Faith

Evans’s sacrifice resonates beyond Valor Day. His story is etched in naval history but more deeply in the enduring testament to leadership forged in fire.

“Greater love hath no man than this,” John 15:13 rings true in his sacrifice. Evans gave everything not for glory, but to save his scattered brothers-in-arms. He embodied a warrior’s humility and grace under pressure. A reminder—courage is not absence of fear but action despite it.

To veterans battling their own unseen wars, Evans’s legacy whispers this: Stand fast. Lead with heart. Carry those beside you through the darkest moments. Redemption waits beyond the smoke of battle.

And to those untouched by war’s terror, his story demands recognition—not mere words, but a prayerful remembrance of the price paid for freedom’s fragile light.

Sources

[1] Naval History and Heritage Command + Medal of Honor Citation: Ernest E. Evans [2] Samuel Eliot Morison + History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. 14: Victory in the Pacific [3] Official U.S. Navy Records + Battle off Samar Action Reports