Born in Sweden on May 24, 1876, he earned the Medal of Honor while serving as Chief Boatswain aboard the USS Kearsarge on April 13, 1906. The Medal was not officially awarded until the publication of Naval General Orders on December 4, 1924.
He died on March 6, 1930 and was buried in Section 7 of Arlington National Cemetery.
His wife, Kathryn Veronica Nordstrom (1891-1916), is buried with him.
NORDSTROM, ISIDOR
Rank and organization: Chief Boatswain, U.S. Navy. Born: 24 May 1876, Goteborg, Sweden. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 142, 4 December 1924.
Citation:
For gallant conduct upon the occasion of the disastrous fire of accidentally ignited
powder charges, which occurred in the forward turret of the U.S.S. Kearsage during target practice on 13 April 1906. Chief Boatswain Nordstrom, then chief boatswain’s mate, was among the first to enter the turret in order to assist in bringing out the injured.
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard