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FC2c Hershel Homer Bell
Herschel Homer Bell was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Dec. 30, 1919. His mother, Ona Workman Bell, was a homemaker and his father, Ira Newton Bell, a telephone company installer.
By 1930 the family moved to Decatur, Illinois, where the father worked as a lineman for a power and light company.
Herschel graduated from Decatur High School in 1937. He worked as a clerk for an unspecified time and as a waiter at the Blue Mill Tea Room, where he earned $9 a week.
His parents separated in July 1938 and he enlisted in the Navy on Aug. 12. Mr. Bell was a fire controlman second class on the U.S.S. Arizona when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. For the year before his death, he sent $20 a month to help support his mother and a kid sister.
Sources: The Decatur Herald, the Decatur Daily Review, high school yearbook; Census; Navy enlistment records and muster roll; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.
NOTE: If you are a family member related to this crew member of the U.S.S. Arizona, or have additional information, pictures or documents to share about his life or service to our county please contact us through our FAMILY MEMBER SUBMISSION FORM.