S1c John James Wilson

John James Wilson was born July 31, 1921 in Utah. His mother, Winnifred Wheatley Wilson, was a homemaker, and his father, Duane Wilson, a miner. The family, which included seven children, moved to California by 1924.

In April 1930 the parents, five sons, and a daughter were living in Compton, a central suburb of Los Angeles. By 1940 and still in Compton John was a new worker and had completed two years of high school.

He enlisted in the Navy on June 11, 1940, and was a seaman second class on the U.S.S. Arizona when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.

After his death his younger brothers, George and Thomas, also enlisted in the Navy.

Sources: Census; Navy muster rolls; Miller-Jones Mortuary of Hemet, California. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.