 Joseph A. LaValley was the first of more than 50 Transportation Company men and women at a retreat parade where Lt. Robert D. McCaughley presented him with a citation honoring him for courage and discipline displayed during the sinking of the U.S. Army Transport President Coolidge in the South Pacific.The loss of critical equipment being carried in "President Coolidge", forcing redistribution of scarce local stores, combined with loss of the ship when shipping was critically short, delaying deployment of the 25th Division from Hawaii to the theater, complicated logistics during the crisis at Guadalcanal.