S1c Leslie Henry Fischer

Leslie Henry Fischer was born Nov. 17, 1923 in Sioux City, Iowa to Edward Fischer and Rose Otto Fischer.

His parents were North Dakota natives, and by the time of the 1930 Census the family was living in Logan County, North Dakota, where the father worked as a barber. By 1940 they were in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where both parents and the oldest daughter, Bernice, all worked. As for most families during the Great Depression, times were tough. The three reported total 1939 income of $830 — equivalent to about $15,000 in 2019 — to support their household of seven people.

Leslie Fischer enlisted in the Navy on his 17th birthday and was a seaman first class on the U.S.S. Arizona when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.

An older brother, Hubert, served in the Army in World War II. Their father served in the Army for four months and also worked at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton. A younger brother, Donald, served in the Navy during the war.

Sources: Eau Claire (Wisconsin) Leader; Iowa birth record; Census; Navy muster roll; grave marker; US Department of Veterans Affairs death file. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.