John Franklin Middleswart
John Franklin Middleswart was born in Alton, Madison County, Illinois. He was the son of John Henry Middleswart (1895-1971) and Dora Kochersperger (1892-1978). He had one brother: Edgar and one sister: Lauretta. He attended Roosevelt Junior High School and later Woodruff High School graduating in 1940. He enlisted in the U.S. Marines the following year on 3-Mar 1941. The family moved to Peoria sometime after 1935.
His parents moved to San Diego for the job opportunities and to be closer to their son while he was stationed with the Pacific Fleet. John trained with the First Recruit Battalion at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego. He was selected for Sea School upon completing boot camp and was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma in the early summer. John Middleswart was promoted to Private First Class on 7-Oct 1941.
While Lauretta and her family returned to Alton, his parents were heading west to California. Good jobs were available at the San Diego shipyards, and in November 1941 John, Dora, and Edgar moved to 4148 Poplar Street in Hollywood Park.
On December 7, 1941, at 7:56 a.m., the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, targeting Battleship Row. The USS Oklahoma was struck by as many as nine torpedoes. Within 12 minutes, at 8:08 a.m., the battleship capsized. Hundreds of men were trapped below deck, struggling in the pitch-dark, upside-down compartments as they filled with water. 429 officers, sailors, and Marines lost their lives, marking the second-greatest loss of life at Pearl Harbor after the USS Arizona.
On 7-Dec 1941, John Franklin Middleswart was declared Missing in Action and later presumed dead.
On 28-Jan 2021 the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that his remains had been identified and accounted for. He has been laid to rest at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California.
He is memorialized at the Tablets of the Missing, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Pfc. John Middleswart 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
For more of the story, click on the pdf below:
KIA 7-Dec 1941-John Franklin Middleswart
