New destroyer being named for Charleston native

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A new Navy destroyer is being named in honor of a Charleston native who won the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said Wednesday a new Arleigh Baker class destroyer will be named in honor of Ralph Johnson.

Johnson was a Marine private first class who was awarded the Medal of Honor after his death for throwing himself on a grenade after shouting a warning to his fellow Marines during a firefight in Vietnam.

The VA medical center in Charleston also bears his name.