William Edison Stoddard 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, William V. Stoddard, was an Army chauffeur in World War I. He was described in the 1930 Census for Hackberry in southwestern Louisiana, as a keeper of a garage. His wife, Angelina Anna Duhon Stoddard, was a homemaker. William, born July 10, 1920, was their oldest child.

When he applied to the Navy in September 1940 he said he’d complete 11th grade at Hackberry High in 1939. His mother attested that her husband’s  location was unknown and that he had not supported the family for about 10 years.

William enlisted in the Navy on Nov. 2, 1940.

A brother, Romey Joseph Stoddard, also served in the Navy during World War II as an electrician’s mate and petty officer. Another brother, John Homer Stoddard, served in the Army. Both survived the war.

Sources: Lake Charles (Louisiana) American Press; the Southwest Star of Sulphur, Louisiana; Headstone Application for Military Veterans; Houston National Cemetery record; WWII draft registration card; grave marker; Navy enlistment records. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.