- Rank: Fireman 1st Class
- Serial No: 382-12-14
- Branch: US Navy
- Home Town: Van Nuys, CA
- Date Of Birth: October 2, 1921
- Age: 20
- Height: 5'-4"
- Disposition: Unrecovered
- Family DNA on File: YES
F1c Richard James Ahern
Richard James Ahern was born Oct. 2, 1921 in Atkinson, Nebraska in the state’s western panhandle to James Ahern, a farmer, and Sarah “Sadie” Penry Ahern, a homemaker. He was the oldest of five children and the only son.
The family moved to California after 1935, and Richard attended Van Nuys High School until June 1939, finishing 11th grade.
Richard enlisted in the Navy on Oct. 10, 1939 in Los Angeles, CA and completed his basic training at the San Diego Naval Training Station. He boarded the U.S.S. Arizona for duty on December 20, 1939. He was a fireman first class on the U.S.S. Arizona when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.
One sister, Margaret, attended nursing school during World War II and eventually joined the Air Force as a flight nurse. She achieved the rank of captain during the Korean War.
Sources: The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, California; Mercy College of Nursing in San Diego, California; 1942 Van Nuys High School yearbook; Census; Navy muster roll and enlistment records. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona and Operation 85.
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