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Mervyn Sharp Bennion was born in Vernon, Utah on May 5, 1887. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1910 and later specialized in naval ordnance. He was Commanding Officer of the battleship USS West Virginia at the time of December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and was mortally wounded on the ship's bridge when a bomb exploded nearby. Captain Mervyn S. Bennion was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
For conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage, and complete disregard for his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, during the attack on the fleet at Pearl Harbor, by Japanese forces, December 7, 1941. As Commanding Officer of the USS West Virginia, after being mortally wounded, Capt. Bennion evidenced apparent concern only in fighting and saving his ship, and strongly protested being carried from the bridge.
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