John Calvin Atchison
John Calvin Atchison was born 23-Feb 1922 was born in Sparta, Randolph County, Illinois and later lived in St. Louis MO. He was the son of Xenophon Earl Atchison (1889-1957) and Ethel Sarena Ragsdale (1895-1976). He had one sister Jaqueline (1923-1994).
He attended McKinley High School in St Louis, Missouri when he enlisted with the US Marines in 1940. His service number was 291613.
On 6-Dec 1941, the Arizona returned to its base at Pearl Harbor. The next morning, at approximately 7:55 AM, Japan launched a surprise attack on the naval base. For nearly two hours, more than 350 Japanese aircraft—which included torpedo planes, bombers, and fighters—dropped bombs on U.S. vessels. At approximately 8:10 AM, the Arizona was struck by a 1,760-pound (800-kg) projectile. The impact caused munitions and fuels to ignite, creating a massive explosion that reportedly lifted the battleship out of the water. As it sank, the ship was struck by more bombs. In addition, some claimed that the Arizona was also hit by torpedoes, though no evidence was found to support that assertion. While 334 crew members survived, the death toll on the Arizona was 1,177 and remain entombed on the ship today.
John Calvin Atchison body was never recovered, He is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location. He was eligible for the following medals:
- Purple Heart
- Combat Action Ribbon
- World War II Victory Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation
- Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
- Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal
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