WWI Navy hero may get Medal of Honor 52 years after death

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WWI Navy hero may get Medal of Honor 52 years after death
By Rick Neale, Florida Today
May 8, 11:33 AM
Frederick Lois Riefkohl in 1911 (Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

MELBOURNE, Fla. — Frederick Riefkohl was the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy. A World War I hero who led a successful showdown with a German submarine. And a World War II ship commander who retired as a rear admiral — he even has his own Wikipedia page.

But Riefkohl did not receive the Medal of Honor, America’s highest award for valor in combat, to commemorate his WWI gallantry.

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