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S1c Richmond Frederick Blieffert
Richmond Frederick Blieffert was the son of German and Czech immigrants.
His parents, Carl Frederick Blieffert and Gertrude Stabena Blieffert, came separately to the United States in 1909. Richmond, “Dick,” was born on March 4, 1919 in Washington state.
The 1920 Census showed the family living in Seattle, where Carl, from northern Germany, worked at a shipyard. By 1930, they were in Kitsap to the west and Carl was a hotel waiter. Gertrude was a homemaker.
Richmond attended South Kitsap High in Port Orchard, Washington where as a senior he played on the 1937 football team.
He enlisted in the Navy on April 8, 1940, and 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.
He was also a member of the ship’s swim team, which had defeated the other teams — Nevada and Oklahoma — in her battleship swim division the previous season, according to an August 1941 edition of the Arizona’s newspaper.
Sources: The Kitsap (Washington) Sun; Census records; Washington birth index; declaration of intent to become a U.S. Citizen; Navy muster roll; South Kitsap sports record; At ‘Em Arizona newspaper. Naval History and Heritage Command photo. 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.