Publish Date 
Written by He had served in the United States Navy for three years when he was killed in action at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack there on December 7, 1941.
He was aboard the USS California and was assigned to an air compressor which was vital to weapons firing systems of the ship. When his compartment was flooded by a torpedo hit, he helped to evacuate the area and then remained behind in an effort to keep the weapons systems functioning. His last words that anyone heard were:
“This is my station and I will stay and give them air as long as the guns are going.”
He was eventually buried in Section 34 of Arlington National Cemetery.
Robert R. Scott was born in Massillon, Ohio, on 13 July 1915. He enlisted in the Navy during the 1930s and had risen to the rank of Machinist's Mate First Class by 1941. During the 7 December 1941 Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor, he was serving on board USS California (BB-44). When the ship was hit by Japanese torpedoes, causing serious flooding of his battle station, MM1c Scott remained in the compartment in order to continue supplying compressed air to the ship's guns, and so lost his life. For this act of heroism, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
SCOTT, ROBERT R .
Rank and organization: Machinist's Mate First Class, U.S. Navy. Born: 13 July 1915, Massillon, Ohio. Accredited to Ohio.
Citation
For conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and complete disregard of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. The compartment, in
the U.S.S. California, in which the air compressor, to which Scott was assigned as his battle station, was flooded as the result of a torpedo hit. The remainder of the personnel evacuated that compartment but Scott refused to leave, saying words to the effect “This is my station and I will stay and give them air as long as the guns are going.”
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard