Look back at the moment that made JFK a war hero.

John F. Kennedy was initially denied the chance the serve in the Navy due to health issues. After his father intervened, JFK joined the Navy and was soon deployed to the Pacific. 

He was given command of a patrol torpedo boat and set out to support the New Georgia Islands campaign. In the dead of night, his PT boat was rammed by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri, killing one of his crew. They escaped to a nearby island. JFK pulled an injured man along with his teeth, despite a back injury of his own. They were stranded for seven days on that island, until they were rescued after Kennedy sent out a message carved on a coconut.

The story made Kennedy a war hero, and ultimately launched him into fame which followed him all through his political career.