S1c John William Jr. Whitaker

John William Whitaker Jr. was one of three men on the U.S.S. Arizona from Pollock in central Louisiana, population 317. All three died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.

Mr. Whitaker was a seaman first class.

He was born on June 4, 1922 to John W. and Lura Whitaker. He was a farmer and she was a homemaker. Their son joined the Navy for the excitement and because jobs were hard to find in the small town, his brother Louie said. Louie also served in the war, as an Army mechanic in Europe. He survived.

John’s body was recovered after the attack and initially buried in Hawaii. His remains were returned to Louisiana in 1947 and buried 10 miles south at the National Cemetery in Pineville.

The other two Pollock men killed on the Arizona were Malcolm Clark and Wilburn Carle Roberts.

Sources: The Town Talk of Alexandria, grave marker at the National Cemetery.; Veterans Administration. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.