Sponsored by:

Navy Federal Credit Union
Onnie
Peter
Lattu
POW (WWII)
April 24, 1906

–

Born:

Hitola

, 

Finland

Home:

Fort Bragg

, 

California

Onnie Lattu entered military service in the U.S. Navy in 1930 after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley. In August 1940, he was sent to the American Embassy, Berlin, Germany, as Assistant Naval AttachŽ, also being attached to American Legations in Madrid, Spain; Rome, Italy; Stockholm, Sweden; and Vichy, France. After the United States entered World War II in December 1941, he was interned with other military attaches in Germany until the diplomatic exchange of internees was arranged in May 1942. He retired as a U.S. Navy Rear Admiral.

Awards Received

  • Prisoner of War Medal

    Service:

    United States Navy

    Rank:

    Lieutenant

    Division:

    Prisoner of War (Germany)

    Action Date:

    December 1941 – May 1942
    NARA Database: Records of World War II Prisoners of War, created, 1942 – 1947

    Lieutenant Onnie P. Lattu (NSN: 0-63473), United States Navy, was a Prisoner of War of the Germans from December 1941 until a diplomatic exchange of internees was arranged in May 1942.

  • Legion of Merit

    Service:

    United States Navy

    Rank:

    Rear Admiral

    Action Date:

    July 7, 1964 – November 30, 1965
    All Hands (June 1966)

    (Citation Needed) – SYNOPSIS: Rear Admiral Onnie Peter Lattu (NSN: 0-63473), United States Navy, was awarded the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Director of the Office of Oil and Gas, Department of the Interior, from 7 July 1964 to 30 November 1965, for his work in directing the intensive effort which brought the newly authorized Emergency Petroleum and Gas Administration to a high degree of readiness for mobilizing the nation’s petroleum resources in the event of a national emergency.