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S1c Merritt Cameron Helm
Merritt Cameron Helm was born Nov. 1, 1921 at Tower, a town in northeast Minnesota. His mother, Inez Wiseman Helm, was a homemaker and his father, Lucien Helm, a postmaster.
Merritt, the middle of seven children, enlisted in the Navy on Dec. 5, 1939. He was a seaman first class on the U.S.S. Arizona when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.
There is a cenotaph for him at Lake View Cemetery in Tower, where his parents are buried. The town had about 800 people when Mr. Helm left for the Navy.
His youngest brother, John, served in the Army during the Korean War.
Sources: the St. Cloud (Minnesota) Times; Census; Navy muster roll; Minnesota birth index; grave markers and cenotaph. 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.