WW2 Fallen - Arthur Newcomb, USS Grunion, a 65 year old mystery solved

Arthur Newcomb was a radioman on the USS Grunion. Its fate was unknown for 65 years.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3738788/arthur-g-newcomb
https://submarinememorial.org/lostboatsfinished/ss216grunion.html
https://alchetron.com/USS-Grunion 

Arthur Golden Newcomb never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on August 20, 1918 in Arizona. His parents Arthur and Bertha Young were born in Illinois and Wisconsin, respectively. His father worked as a bank teller and in 1927 was admitted into a home for disabled soldiers. By 1930 his mother had remarried and Arthur and his younger sister acquired a step brother and sister. It appears that Arthur changed his last name from Young to Newcomb, the name of his stepfather. 

He enlisted in the navy in February 1938. Four years later he reenlisted. He served as a radioman first class on the submarine USS Grunion.

Grunion departed Hawaii on her first war patrol on June 30, 1942. It was sent north to the Aleutian Islands. It never returned from its patrol and the fate of Grunion was a mystery for 65 years. It turns out that Grunion made an unsuccessful attack on the Japanese freighter Kanu Maru using the terribly performing torpedoes that plagued the American submarine forces early in the war. Its first torpedo ran low and failed to explode. The next two bounced off the target. The fourth torpedo circled back and hit the periscope support without exploding. The rear dive plane was also somehow damaged, sending the boat on an uncontrollable dive. Grunion imploded at 1000 feet and broke in two after hitting the sea floor 3,000 feet below the sea. The remains of the submarine were discovered in 2007 by an expedition started by the sons of Grunion's captain.

Radioman Newcomb's death date is reported as August 2, 1943. We now know that he and the other 69 men on Grunion died on July 30, 1942.

His cenotaph grave is at the Los Angeles National Cemetery.

Thank you Radioman Newcomb for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Arthur.

Last year on this date I profiled Himalayan hump pilot Elwood Wells. You can read about Elwood here.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org

WW2 Iwo Jima Fallen - Dr. Claude Arnett, 5th Marine Division

Lt. Claude Arnett, a Navy doctor, was killed on the first day of the Battle of Iwo Jima tending to the wounded on the beach.
1939 Emporia State College yearbook
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/87689764/claude-elias-arnett
https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/pacific/iwo-jima/marine-corpsmen-treat-wounded-beach-iwo-jima-1945/

Claude Elias Arnett, Jr. never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on August 19, 1918 in Kentucky. His parents Claude and Bessie were born in Michigan and Kentucky, respectively. His father worked as a history professor at Emporia State College. Claude was an only child. By 1940 Claude was still living at home and had completed four years of schooling at Emporia State College where he was the senior rep on the student council in 1939. He went on to attend medical school at the University of Kansas. In 1941 he married Barbara Smith.

He was commissioned into the US Navy on March 3, 1942. He graduated from med school in May 1943 and was assigned to the San Diego Naval Base Hospital. His daughter was born the same month. Dr. Arnett was sent to the Pacific in October 1944. He became a lieutenant junior grade serving in the US Navy Medical Corps, attached to the 5th Marine Division.

On February 19, 1945 the American landed on the Japanese stronghold of Iwo Jima. Lt. Arnett disembarked onto the beach this first day of the battle in his role as a surgeon.  There was plenty of work for him to do with the Japanese artillery and mortars raining death and mayhem on the  men crowded on the black sand beach. While attending to the wounded, Lt. Arnett was killed by a mortar shell.

One of Lt. Arnett's acquaintances wrote the following to his widow: "On a South Pacific island is buried a young man who was destined to be a great doctor . . . I do not minimize the loss of thousands upon thousands of others, but simply had to write about this man whom we knew so well."

His grave is at Maplewood Memorial Lawn Cemetery in Emporia, Kansas. His widow remarried and died in 2012. His daughter died in 2011.

Thank you Dr. Arnett for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Claude.

Last year on this date I profiled Donald Mikeles, 27th Infantry Division, who was killed in Saipan. You can read about Donald here.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org

WW2 Normandy Fallen - James Carden, 29th Infantry Division

James Carden landed on Omaha Beach with the 116th Infantry Regiment on D-Day.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42229682/james-samuel-carden
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/658158933017148574/?lp=true

James Samuel Carden never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on August 18, 1918 in Virginia. His parents Charles and Mamie were also both born in Virginia. His father worked as a farmer. James had three older sisters, one older brother, four younger sisters, and one younger brother. By 1940 James had completed six years of education and was working as a laborer while living at home.

His National Guard unit was federalized in August 1940. It was originally supposed to be for just one year, but Congress changed the commitment to keep trained soldiers in the new army. He served as a private first class in Company F, 2nd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division.

The 116th Infantry Regiment was one of the first units to land on Omaha Beach on D-Day. It took heavy casualties. Pfc. Carden made it through unscathed. Six days later his unit was still less than 10 miles from the beachhead.

Pfc. Carden was wounded in action on June 12, 1944 about five miles north of St Lo and died the next day.

His grave is at Clover Cemetery in Clover, Virginia.

Thank you Pfc. Carden for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for James.

Last year on this date I profiled B-17 bombardier Orin Christenson. You can read about Orin here.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org

WW2 Fallen - P-39 pilot Lyle Poitras

Lyle Poitras flew P-39 Airacobras for the 350th Fighter Group.
http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/150260-345th-fighter-squadron-pilot-kia-grouping/page-2
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/121652635/lyle-william-poitras 

Lyle William Poitras never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on August 17, 1918 in the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. His parents Leon and Josephine were also both born in South Dakota. They were Native Americans. His father worked as a harness maker and died in 1938. Lyle had two older brothers, three older sisters and one younger sister. By 1940 he had moved 300 miles away from home to Dewey, SD where he was a lodger working as a rodman. He had completed one year of college.

He joined the army on January 18, 1941 and volunteered for the Army Air Forces where he was assessed as having the skills needed to be a fighter pilot. He became a flight officer in the 345th Fighter Squadron, 350th Fighter Group, 12th Air Force which was equipped with P-39 Airacobras.

The 350th FG planes performed patrol and interception missions, sortied to protect convoys, escorted aircraft, flew recon, engaged in interdictions and provided close air support to ground forces in the Mediterranean Theater. By February 1944 it was operating from a base in Corsica. 

Flight Officer Poitras was killed in action over Sardinia on April 23, 1944.

His grave is at Timber Lake Cemetery in Timber Lake, South Dakota.

Thank you F/O Poitras for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Lyle.

Last year on this date I profiled one of the Bedford Boys, Clifton Lee, 29th Infantry Division, who died on Omaha Beach on D-Day. You can read about Clifton here.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org

WW2 Fallen - Harold Lambert, USS Hughes

Harold Lambert was a chief machinist mate on the destroyer USS Hughes.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29318103/harold-odom-lambert
http://www.modelwarships.com/features/words/swan/swan.htm 

Harold Odom Lambert never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on August 16, 1918 in Florida. His parents John and Mary were both born in Alabama. His father worked as a farmer. Harold had four younger sisters and two younger brothers.

He enlisted in the navy on December 23, 1938. I don't know where he served for the next five years.

He married married Mary Louis Smith on September 11, 1943.

By 1944 Harold was a chief machinist mate on the destroyer USS Hughes.

On December 10, 1944 Hughes was on picket duty south of Leyte when it was spotted by a group of 10 kamikaze planes, flying beyond anti-artcraft range. One of the kamikaze plane flew toward Hughes attracting the attention of all its guns. The plane was hit but the pilot maintained control and crashed into the side of the ship. The explosion badly damaged one of the engine rooms and much of the machinery. A second kamikaze plane started to fly toward the ship but a flight of four P-38s showed up and chased it and the others away. Meanwhile Hughes was dead in the water and needed a tow to safety. The suicide plane killed eighteen men, including CMM Lambert, and wounded 40 others.

His grave is at New Hope Baptist Cemetery in Wauchula, Florida. It appears that his widow never remarried. She died in 2006.

Thank you CMM Lambert for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Harold.

Last year on this date I profiled P-47 pilot John Jerue. You can read about John here.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org

WW2 Fallen - Troy Blackburn, 7th Infantry Division

Pfc. Troy Blackburn served in the 7th Infantry Division in Leyte.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86906996/troy-dean-blackburn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)#Marshall_Islands 

Troy D. Blackburn never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on August 15, 1918 in Texas. His parents William and Beulah were also both born in Texas. His father worked as a farmer. Troy had two older brothers, one older sister, and one younger brother. By 1940 Troy had completed two years of high school and was working on the family farm.

He was drafted into the army on February 26, 1942. He became a private first class in Company K, 3rd Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. The 7th ID participated in many Pacific Theater campaigns, including the Aleutian Islands, Kwajalein, and Eniwetok.

Pfc. Blackburn's unit next engaged the enemy after invading Leyte on October 20, 1944. The 7th ID kept the enemy in retreat for six weeks. Pfc. Blackburn was killed in action on December 6, 1944. Although the campaigned was deemed over by the end of December, pockets of enemy resistance continued for another two months.

His grave is at Smyrna Cemetery in Harleton, Texas.

Thank you Pfc. Blackburn for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Troy.

Last year on this date I profiled Harvard grad Charles Ruch, 6th Marine Division. You can read about Charles here.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org

WW2 Fallen - B-17 top turret gunner Okey Hiibner

Sgt. Okey Hiibner was a top turret gunner in the B-17 Full House, which was in the 427th Bombardment Squadron.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/92258394/okey-leonard-hiibner
https://www.pinterest.com/offsite/?token=297-316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.303rdbg.com%2Fpp-43-37666.jpg&pin=342484746642705111&client_tracking_params=CwABAAAADDQ1MzU5OTQ1ODAxMgA~0 

Okey Leonard Hiibner never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on August 14, 1918 in Utah. His parents George and Retta were both born in West Virginia. His father worked as a farmer. Okey had one older brother, four older sisters, one younger brother and one younger sister. By 1940 he had attended Utah State Agriculture College (now USU) and had completed a 2 1/2 year mission for the LDS church.

He was drafted into the army on December 3, 1941. He volunteered for the Army Air Forces and was trained to be a top turret gunner. He became a staff sergeant in the 427th Bombardment Squadron, 303rd Bombardment Group which was equipped with B-17 Flying Fortresses.

Sgt. Hiibner had completed nineteen missions prior to his final mission on November 9, 1944. The target that day was Metz, Germany. Shortly after takeoff, Hiibner's plane, nicknamed Full House, collided with another bomber. Both planes crashed and only the tail gunner in the other plane managed to bail out and survive.

His grave is at Mendon City Cemetery in Mendon, Utah. 

Thank you Sgt. Hiibner for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Okey.

Sgt. Hiibner's story is also told at https://www.fold3.com/page/638677283-okey-l-hiibner/stories. It is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project, Utah pilot.

Last year on this date I profiled Fred Bigbee, 78th Infantry Division. You can read about Fred here.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100

WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org