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F2c James Winford Berry

Nellie Garvison Berry and George Clark Berry sent at least seven of their sons off to war.

Two, James Winford and Max Wayne, were Navy men killed in World War II.

James Winford, nicknamed Windie, was a fireman second class on the U.S.S. Arizona when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. Max Wayne, older by about four years, was a seaman first class when he was killed in April 1944. He was initially buried in Australia but after the war was moved to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, not far from where his brother’s body remains on the sunken battleship Arizona.

James Winford was born Nov. 17, 1917 in Battle Creek, Michigan. His father was a sawmill engineer and his mother a homemaker. By 1930 the family had moved to Sylvania near Toledo, Ohio. He attended Burnham High School in Sylvania. The 1940 Census said he had completed 8th grade and worked 10 weeks for $100 the previous year as a waiter in Lima, Ohio. He joined the Navy in October 1940.

A memorial service was held for him in June 1942 at the American Legion Hall in Sylvania.

Other Berry brothers who served in World War II were Wesley and George Elmer, both in the Navy; Leo Harold and Charles, both in the Army. A younger brother, Gerald, served in the military from 1948 through 1952.

 
Sources: the Sylvania (Ohio) Sentinel; the Kitsap Sun of Bremerton, Washington; the (Tucson) Arizona Daily Star; the Battle Creek (Michigan) Enquirer; city of Sylvania, Ohio; Navy enlistment application; Census; Navy muster rolls; grave markers; applications for military headstones; Veterans Administration death files. 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.