S1c Ralph Campa

Ralph Campa was born Nov. 17, 1920 in Oakland, California. He enlisted in the Navy on Jan. 23, 1941 in El Paso, Texas, and was a seaman first class on the U.S.S. Arizona when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7th.

At the time of his death his mother, Maria Lopez Campa, lived in National City, California about 1½ miles east of San Diego Bay and 11 miles north of the Mexican border. Campa, who had lived at the same address, reported that he had completed the 6th grade, and that his father was dead and from Mexico, while his mother was from New Mexico.

Publicly available records reveal little more about his life. Who was his father? What schools did Ralph attend? Why did he enlist? Please contact us if you have more information.

Sources: Navy muster roll; Navy next-of-kin list. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.