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J A Hale's Letters J A Hale was born 27 May 1926 in Ripley,
Oklahoma. The family moved to the East Texas oil field in 1930. J A attended
school at Salem School near Troup, Texas. In late November 1942 at age 16, when
he was a high school senior, he enlisted in the US Navy . No one knows how he
managed to falsify his age at enlistment. He was trained as a Navy corpsman for
service with the Marine Corps. J A was killed in action during the invasion of
Tarawa on November 20, 1943 at age 17. He was survived by his father, four
brothers, and three sisters. His mother died in September of 1943. J A was
in New Zealand preparing for the invasion of Tarawa when he received the news of
her death. He was
reburied in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (the Punchbowl) in
Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Hawaii on March 14, 1949 (Section F Site
805). |
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Links to letters |
Date |
Pages |
Notes |
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27-May-42 | - | JA's Sixteenth Birthday |
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2-Sep-42 | - | Start of Senior Year at Salem school |
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Late Nov-42 | - | JA enlisted in the Navy |
| US Navy to Dad | 2-Dec-42 | 2 | Family notified of enlistment and training assignment to San Diego |
| Mom to JA | 9-Dec-42 |
2 |
Sorry you joined; you will regret it, everyone is upset |
| J C Barron to JA | 15-Dec-42 |
2 |
You needed a birth certificate; how did you manage to sign up at 16 |
| Kenneth to JA | 16-Dec-42 | 5 | Didn't expect you to join until end of school year |
| Mom to JA | 20-Dec-42 | 3 | Short Xmas this year, read your Bible, do you want your senior ring? |
| Donald to JA | ?-Jan-43 | 1 | It has been really cold; bring me and Paul Jr. a sailor cap |
| Imogene to JA | ? -Jan-43 | 3 | General encouragement |
| Mom to JA | 7-Jan-43 | 3 | News from home; JA is in training in San Diego |
| Mom to JA | 18-Jan-43 | 2 | Lots of people are leaving the area. It's very cold |
| Ivery to JA | winter-43 | 3 | I would join you if not for my bad leg. It has been very cold and snowy here. |
| Mom to JA | 25-Feb-43 | 3 | News from home |
| Kenneth to JA | winter-43 | 3 | Traded for 3 pigs. We are looking for a new house. |
| JA to Kenneth | 1-Mar-43 | 2 | From San Diego, 1 1/2 weeks before finishing nursing training |
| JA to Family | 3-Mar-43 | 3 | About to leave San Diego for a Hospital assignment for 3 weeks |
| Phala to JA | 8-Mar-43 | 2 | News from home |
| Mom to JA | 9-Mar-43 | 2 | Garden killed in freeze, sending your ring |
| Mom to JA | 11-Mar-43 | 3 | Otis and Ruby are visiting. Octa is in the hospital. Dad is now working 40 hours per week. |
| JA to Kenneth | 17-Mar-43 |
2 |
Assigned to a ward in Bremerton Naval Hospital, likes the Seattle area |
| Mom to JA | 23-Mar-43 |
4 |
JA made a trip to Iceland??, pigs expected in a week |
| JA to Kenneth | 27-Mar-43 | 1 | Volunteered to serve with Marines to come back a hero. |
| W F Peerson to JA | 29-Mar-43 | 2 | Describes leave in San Diego |
| Mom to JA | 30-Mar-43 | 2 | News from home. Did you get your ring? |
| Donald to JA | early -Apr-43 | 2 | We have 9 new pigs. I have been sick for 7 days. |
| JA to Kenneth | 5-Apr-43 |
2 |
Expects to be "drafted" by the Marines |
| Donald to JA | 9-Apr-43 | 1 | Paul Jr. is mean |
| Mom to JA | 14-Apr-43 | 3 | Rec'd money and cards. Ivery and Gene are visiting. |
| Phala to JA | 14-Apr-43 | 2 | Had fun at Tyler State Park last Saturday |
| Donald to JA | mid-Apr-43 | 2 | Pigs are big and fat. I have to tell a story in school. |
| JA to Kenneth | 20-Apr-43 | 2 | Now with the Marines in San Diego |
| JA to Kenneth | 2-May-43 | 3 | Signed up for 2 months of training in field hospitals with Marines |
| JA to Kenneth | 7-May-43 | 1 | Pay screwed up, needs money |
| Mom to JA | 8-May-43 | 3 | Why did you change to the Marines? |
| Don Townsend to JA | 11-May-43 | 2 | Report from training camp near Cheyenne |
| Mom to JA | 12-May-43 | 3 | Received your (Navy) clothes. Tornado struck Laird Hill |
| JA to Kenneth | 20-May-43 | 4 | Describes training for service with the Marines |
| JA to Kenneth | 21-May-43 | 3 | Sent a newspaper article about the training program at Camp Elliott near San Diego |
| Jackson to JA | 23-May-43 | 2 | How do you like the Marines? |
| Training Schedule | 24-May-43 | 1 | Second week of Field Services Training at Camp Elliott, California |
| -------- | 27-May-43 | - | JA's seventeenth birthday |
| JA to Kenneth | 31-May-43 | 2 | Notes about the training program |
| Mom to JA | 6-Jun-43 | 4 | Octa is ill. Had a great Sunday dinner. Two neighbors have died. Phala and Donald passed to the next grade. |
| F.W. Peerson to JA | 10-Jun-43 | 1 | From Attu Island, Alaska. If you are up this way, look me up. |
| Kenneth to JA | 24-Jun-43 | 2 | Refers to racial riots in Detroit and birth of son, Phillip |
| JA to Kenneth | 30-Jun-43 | 2 | Rumor we will be sent to Iceland |
| -------- | early-Jul-43 | - | JA leaves California for New Zealand. Assigned to Hdq Co 1st Btn 2nd Marines |
| Mom to JA | 8-Jul-43 | 3 | Hot dry summer, lots of work, little excitement |
| Mom to JA | 13-Jul-43 | 3 | Received your clothes. Octa is ill. Polio is causing problems. Pigs weigh 80 lbs. |
| Donald to JA | mid-Jul-43 | 1 | Got your stuff. Pigs got out. |
| Mom to JA | 19-Jul-43 | 3 | Its very hot here. Canning is done. We have some fine hogs. Other news from home. |
| Mom to Vesta | 11-Aug-43 | 1 | It's hot and dry. Haven't heard from JA or Octa. Dad has a new job. |
| JA to Kenneth and Ivery | 19-Aug-43 | 1 | Note from New Zealand? |
| Mom to JA | 22-Aug-43 | 1 | Good to hear that you "landed" safely. News from home. |
| Mom to Vesta | 25-Aug-43 | 3 | JA arrived overseas on the 4th (July or August?). We got a letter from him on the 23rd of August. |
| -------- | 1-Sep-43 | - | Mom died of stroke |
| JA to Kenneth | 4-Sep-43 | 2 | From FPO address |
| D Grigsby to JA | 6-Sep-43 | 1 | Letter from classmate in Navy/Marine training |
| -------- | 7-Sept-43 | - | 2nd Marines start amphibious transport training |
| Red Cross to JA | 8-Sep-43 | 1 | J A notified of mother's death |
| Kenneth to JA | 8-Sep-43 | 1 | Describes mother's death and funeral |
| JA to Family | 16-Sep-43 | 1 | Heard about Mom's death. Would like to be of help. Sorry he couldn't come home. |
| Vesta to JA | 19-Sep-43 | 1 | Dad and kids not doing too well. Octa is at home helping |
| JA to Family | late-Sep-1943 | 1 | Donald, don't join the Marines or the Army |
| Kenneth to JA | 2-Oct-43 | 1 | Where are you? |
| JA to Kenneth | 14-Oct-43 | 2 | J A is in New Zealand preparing for the invasion of Tarawa |
| JA to Dad | 29-Oct-43 | 1 | Glad to get your letter. Proud Octa is there. |
| --------- | 30-Oct-43 | - | 2nd Marines complete loading in Wellington, New Zealand for invasion of Tarawa |
| JA to Vesta | 31-Oct-43 | 1 | Glad to hear from Dad. Save this letter. |
| -------- | 1-Nov-43 | - | Transports sail from Wellington for Elfate, New Hebrides for rehearsal exercises |
| -------- | 7-Nov-43 | - | First rehearsal exercises completed |
| --------- | 9-Nov-43 | - | Second rehearsal exercises completed |
| --------- | 13-Nov-43 | - | Task force leaves Elfate for Tarawa |
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20-Nov-43 | - | Tarawa invasion began. 1st Btn. 2nd Marines held in reserve until near noon. |
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20-Nov-43 | - | J A killed on first day of Tarawa invasion |
| Dad to Ida May | 23-Dec-43 | 1 | Received notice this morning that JA was killed |
| Claudie Belle to Family | late Dec-43 | 1 | Letter of condolence |
| Ft Worth Newspaper | 14-Jan-44 | 1 | J A listed in the newspaper as KIA in the Pacific |
| Total document pages | 134 |