1SGT John Duveene

John Duveene was born April 29, 1900 in Boston, Massachusetts.  He enlisted in the Marines in June 1922 and was a first sergeant in the Marine Corps administrative staff aboard the U.S.S. Arizona when he was mortally wounded in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.

Though badly burned with little clothing still in place, he remained on deck until the senior surviving officer ordered all hands to abandon the ship. Mr. Duveene, nicknamed Duke, died two days later. He is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.

He married Eleanor Jensen Duveene in Yuma, Arizona on May 21, 1938. Yuma was a popular wedding spot for Navy men because it was near the West Coast home port of many of their ships and Arizona, unlike California, had no waiting period.

The Arizona’s commander has recommended Mr. Duveene in July 1941 for promotion to sergeant major, but that did not go through before he was killed.

Sources: grave marker; Arizona marriage license; Marine enlistment records and photograph; recollection of Marine survivor Russell J. McCurdy.  This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.