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| Ens. Marshall Darby was on the USS Oklahoma when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. A destroyer escort was named in his honor. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56128250/marshall-eugene-darby http://view.news.qq.com/original/legacyintouch/d344.html http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/218.htm |
Marshall Eugene "Sonny" Darby, Jr. never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on November 10, 1918 in Washington, DC. His parents Marshall and Anna (who lived to be 99) were born in Maryland and DC, respectively. His father served in the US Army and reached the rank of colonel. Marshall had one younger brother who served in the US Navy in the Korean War and Vietnam War. By 1940 Eugene had graduated from the US Naval Academy.
Ensign Darby was first posted to Panama but was later assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma.
I was not able to discover Ens. Darby's battle station on December 7, 1941 when Japanese planes hit USS Oklahoma with three torpedoes, causing it to capsize. Ens. Darby's remains were never identified.
Marshall's father served as the commander of the 9th Ordnance Maintenance Battalion, I Corp which served under Douglas MacArthur during the war in the Pacific.
In May 1943 Marshall's mother christened the destroy escort USS Darby, named after her son.
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| Ens. Darby's father aboard the ship that was named after his son. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49225455/marshall-eugene-darby/photo |
His cenotaph grave is at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii. His parents and brother are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Coincidently, last year on this date I profiled Lawrence Boxrucker, who also perished on the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941. His remains were not identified for another 67 years. His 90 year old twin brother attended his funeral. You can read about Lawrence 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.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
Such a young life ended so quickly and tragically. He never got to live to be an old man. Never forget his young sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your service Ens. Darby.
ReplyDeleteIn 1967, my paternal Grandmother Grace (Taylor) Noone told us a relative died at Pearl Harbor. Years later I asked my father what he knew and he provided the name Marshall Darby Jr.. I researched and the family connection is Marshall Darby Jr. was a son of my Grandmother Noone's cousin (Edith Plotz). (Ensign Darby would be a fourth cousin of mine.) Whenever I am fortunate to visit Hawaii, I go to Pearl Harbor to pay my respects to Ensign Marshall Darby Jr. I cannot re-pay his sacrifice to the USA. May he RIP and he is thought of in the highest regard possible.
ReplyDelete