What are the odds that an Alabama serviceman reported missing after the attack on Pearl Harbor would later be found safe and then die on Pearl Harbor Day 56 years later? Dec. 7, 1997.
Kenneth Dean of Nixon Chapel in Marshall County, Alabama, was serving with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theater as a Pharmacist’s Mate 3rd Class aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma. He had two years of service when Pearl Harbor was bombed.
During the attack, the Oklahoma was struck by nine Japanese torpedoes. It set “riding anchor” inside Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor alongside other battleships on “Battleship Row.”
The Oklahoma was specifically targeted by Japanese torpedoes.
Japanese aircraft strafed her crew as they abandoned ship. Within 12 minutes of the attack, she rolled over with her starboard side above water and her masts touching bottom. Many of her crew climbed aboard the nearby battleship USS Maryland and continued to fight, manning anti-aircraft guns.
Dean was the son of James and Odessa Dean of Nixon Chapel. It is located in the foothills of Sand Mountain southwest of Albertville.
Mr. and Mrs. Dean received a telegram informing them that Kenneth was missing following the Japanese attack. The telegram was quite a shock because just a few days earlier, they had received a Christmas package from Kenneth.
Shortly after the first shocking telegram, the Deans received a second informing them that Kenneth was alive and accounted for. Best Christmas present they could have wanted in 1941.
Kenneth Dean survived World War II and died December 7, 1997 – 56 years to the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He fought at Pearl Harbor and died on Pearl Harbor Day. He is buried near his parents in Nixon Chapel Cemetery. From Marshall County, he came, to Marshall County, he returned.
December 7, 1941. “…a day that will live in infamy.” — President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler writes about Alabama’s people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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