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In 1804 Macdonough accompanied Decatur when they hunted down the murderer of Decatur's brother, James Decatur, who was killed by the commander when he boarded a Tripolitan ship that had pretended to be surrendering. After catching up with and pulling alongside the ship involved, Decatur was the first to board the enemy vessel with Midshipman Macdonough at his heels along with nine volunteer crew members. Decatur, Macdonough and the rest of the crew were outnumbered 5 to 1 but were determined, organized and kept their form, fighting furiously side by side, killing the commander and most of the crew along with capturing the Tripolitan ship.

Talk about bravery and courage. Chasing down an enemy ship, boarding with odds against you, then kicking some serious ass and not taking names. These men fought side by side in close quarters hand to hand combat when "I got your back" meant something. Glimpses of history long gone.