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S1c Billy Murl Collins
Billy Murl Collins was born Sept. 4, 1921 at Glendale, Arizona. His mother, Lona Brooks Collins, was a homemaker and his father, Oscar Collins, a rancher.
A daughter was born in February 1924 and sometime between then and 1930 the family moved to Barstow, California, where the father took a job as a stationary engineer for a steam railroad.
Billy graduated from Union High in Barstow in 1939 and enlisted in the Navy on Oct. 10. 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.
His father served in the military during World War I.
Sources: Cornwell Colonial Chapel web site; Census; Navy enlistment records and muster roll; Arizona birth records; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs death file. Note: His birth certificate says his middle name was Muriel, but he said that he never used that spelling. 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.