BM2c John Goldie Leggett

John Goldie Leggett married Helen Irene Donahue just before Christmas 1940 when his ship was docked in Seattle for repairs.

Before the next Christmas, Mr. Leggett was killed aboard the U.S.S. Arizona in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

He was a boatswain’s mate and petty officer second class when he died on Dec. 7, 1941. He had joined the Navy in July 1937, leaving behind farming in Martin County, North Carolina northeast of Greenville.

He was born March 23, 1916 and his mother, Goldie Pierce Leggett, died a few weeks later. Her death certificate listed the cause as “pneumonia (labor)”. The 1920 Census showed the boy living with his father, Jesse — a farmer — and his stepmother and seven siblings. By 1930, he was with an aunt and uncle about 5 miles to the east near Williamston, N.C.

Mr. Leggett attended Williamston High School for two years before becoming a farmer in nearby Poplar Point.

His widow was from Seattle and they were married by the clergyman for University Temple United Methodist Church.

Sources: The Enterprise of Williamston, North Carolina; Census records; marriage certificate. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Defense Department. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.