John Arnold Austin: Difference between revisions
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#REDIRECT [[USS Austin (DE-15)]] |
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{{moreref|date=May 2018}} |
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{{Infobox military person |
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|name= John Arnold Austin |
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|birth_date= {{Birth date|1905|8|30}} |
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|death_date= {{death date and age|1941|12|7|1905|8|30}} |
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|birth_place= [[Warrior, Alabama]] |
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|death_place= Killed during the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor]] |
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|placeofburial= |
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|placeofburial_label= Place of burial |
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|image= |
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|caption= John Arnold Austin |
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|nickname= |
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|allegiance= [[United States|United States of America]] |
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|branch=[[United States Navy]] |
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|serviceyears= 1920–1941 |
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|rank= Chief Carpenter |
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|commands= |
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|unit= {{USS|Oklahoma|BB-37}} |
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|battles= [[World War II]] |
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|awards= [[Navy Cross (United States)|Navy Cross]] |
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|laterwork= |
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}} |
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'''John Arnold Austin''' (30 August 1905 – 7 December 1941) was a United States Navy sailor in [[World War II]], who received the [[Navy Cross (United States)|Navy Cross]] (awarded posthumously) for his actions during the Japanese [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]. |
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==Naval service== |
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Austin was born in [[Warrior, Alabama]]. He enlisted in the [[United States Navy]] on 20 November 1920 at age 15. Between that time and 26 July 1935, he served four successive enlistments. On that date, Austin accepted an acting appointment as a Carpenter's Mate 3rd Class ([[Petty officer third class]]) and reported on board the submarine tender {{USS|Canopus|AS-9|2}} then serving as a unit of the [[Asiatic Fleet]]. On 8 August, he detached from the tender and reported for duty on {{USS|Augusta|CA-31|2}}. On 4 December 1935, Austin received a permanent warrant as a carpenter ([[warrant officer]], W-1). He left the heavy [[cruiser]] on 13 July 1937 and reported on board {{USS|Tennessee|BB-43|2}} on 10 September 1937. He served in that [[battleship]] until detached on 14 June 1939 to proceed to further assignment to {{USS|Rigel|AD-13|2}} reporting on 18 July 1939. After 14 months on that [[destroyer tender]], Carpenter Austin departed on 21 September 1940 bound for duty in {{USS|Oklahoma|BB-37|2}} and reported on board the battleship on 5 October 1940. In October 1941, Austin he received a commission as a chief carpenter ([[chief warrant officer]], W-2). |
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==Death at Pearl Harbor== |
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[[File:USS Oklahoma on fire.gif|thumb|The heavily-damaged {{USS|Oklahoma|BB-37|2}} capsizing during the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] on December 7, 1941.]] |
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On the morning of 7 December 1941, Chief Austin was on board ''Oklahoma''. The battleship, which was the first to be attacked by the Japanese on [[Battleship Row]], capsized in only 15 minutes due to damage it received from torpedoes and bombs. Austin along with many crew members were trapped within the ship as it keeled over. After searching for a means of escape, he found a [[porthole]] beneath the surface that offered a way out. He assisted 15 sailors in escaping from the sunken ''Oklahoma''. However Chief Carpenter Austin failed to get out. In January 2019, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that his remains had been accounted for by means of DNA testing and other analyses on September 4, 2018.<ref>http://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/Article/1726187/uss-oklahoma-sailor-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-austin-j/</ref> |
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===Citation=== |
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The citation for his posthumous [[Navy Cross (United States)|Navy Cross]] reads: |
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<blockquote>The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Chief Carpenter John Arnold Austin (NSN: 75565), United States Navy, for exceptional courage, presence of mind, and devotion to duty and disregard for his personal safety while serving on board the Battleship U.S.S. OKLAHOMA (BB-37), during the Japanese attack on the United States Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, on 7 December 1941. When the U.S.S. OKLAHOMA capsized, Chief Carpenter Austin and a number of the crew were entrapped in one of the ship's compartments. By his efforts, a porthole which was under water was located and he assisted fifteen of the crew to escape. The conduct of Chief Carpenter Austin throughout this action reflects great credit upon himself, and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=20184 | title=John Arnold Austin | publisher=Military Times | accessdate=May 17, 2015}}</ref></blockquote> |
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==Legacy== |
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Austin's remains were originally among those buried in the [[Halawa|Halawa Naval Cemetery]] and [[Oahu Cemetery|Nu'uanu Cemetery]] on [[Oahu]]. After the war concluded, those remains were disinterred as part of an effort to identify individuals. Still unidentified, his were among the remains of 45 crew members from the ''Oklahoma'' that were buried under a shared marker at the [[National Cemetery of the Pacific]]. New forensic technologies led to the resumption of efforts to identify those remains in 2015. Austin's remains were identified by the [[Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency]] in September 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gore |first=Leada |date=2019-01-09 |title=WWII remains identified: Alabama sailor John Austin credited with saving 15 lives at Pearl Harbor |url=https://www.al.com/news/2019/01/wwii-remains-identified-alabama-sailor-john-austin-credited-with-saving-15-lives-at-pearl-harbor.html |work=''[[Birmingham News]]'' |location=Birmingham, Alabama |access-date=2019-01-11 }}</ref> |
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The escort [[destroyer]] {{USS|Austin|DE-15}}, commissioned in 1943, was named in his honor. |
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==See also== |
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* [[Battleship Row]] |
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* [[List of United States Navy ships present at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941]] |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, John Arnold}} |
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[[Category:1905 births]] |
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[[Category:1941 deaths]] |
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[[Category:Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States)]] |
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[[Category:People from Warrior, Alabama]] |
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[[Category:United States Navy sailors]] |
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[[Category:American naval personnel killed in World War II]] |
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Latest revision as of 07:37, 10 February 2021
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