EVERETT V. ALWARD, MAJ, USMC
Everett Alward '41
Lucky Bag
From the 1941 Lucky Bag:
EVERETT VYRON ALWARD
Morgan Hill, California
We don't know whether it was the foreign air of Canada in his youth or the mountain sunshine of California later that did the trick, but suffice to say, Al's a pretty fine specimen. Except for an occasional Morgan Hill Bugle, we hear little of California and the old hometown. Maybe it's a small place or maybe it's just his philosophy to live for the present. Studies and marks don't bother him too much since he'd rather get by and spend the excess time reading and figuring out the practical side of things. Always either laughing and carrying on a bull session or in one of his silent moods which express his displeasure usually at you, music, or irresponsible plebes, Al has developed an independence which along with his fine physique has made him one of those magazine "he-men." Batt wrestling in the winter, crew in the spring, and year-around dragging of the O. A. O., who lives conveniently close, rounded out his full schedule of life within those four gray walls.
Boxing 4; Crew 4, 3, 2; Battalion Wrestling 3, 2; Hop Committee 1.
The Class of 1941 was the first of the wartime-accelerated classes, graduating in February 1941.
EVERETT VYRON ALWARD
Morgan Hill, California
We don't know whether it was the foreign air of Canada in his youth or the mountain sunshine of California later that did the trick, but suffice to say, Al's a pretty fine specimen. Except for an occasional Morgan Hill Bugle, we hear little of California and the old hometown. Maybe it's a small place or maybe it's just his philosophy to live for the present. Studies and marks don't bother him too much since he'd rather get by and spend the excess time reading and figuring out the practical side of things. Always either laughing and carrying on a bull session or in one of his silent moods which express his displeasure usually at you, music, or irresponsible plebes, Al has developed an independence which along with his fine physique has made him one of those magazine "he-men." Batt wrestling in the winter, crew in the spring, and year-around dragging of the O. A. O., who lives conveniently close, rounded out his full schedule of life within those four gray walls.
Boxing 4; Crew 4, 3, 2; Battalion Wrestling 3, 2; Hop Committee 1.
The Class of 1941 was the first of the wartime-accelerated classes, graduating in February 1941.
Loss
Everett was lost when his aircraft was shot down near Tokyo on February 25, 1945.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Everett was born in Youngstown, Alta, Canada. His mother, Jennie, died in 1919. He, his stepmother and brothers arrived in Eastport, Idaho, in 1924. In 1930 his father was Azor (who died in 1936), stepmother Lois, a public school teacher, and brother Forrest and half-brother David. In 1935, he lived in Santa Clara County, California.
After graduating from the Naval Academy, he arrived in Honolulu in July 1941. He married Geraldine Bartlett in Honolulu on April 28, 1942.
He was survived by his wife and a young son.
Everett has a memory marker in New York; he is also listed at the Courts of the Missing in Hawaii.
Silver Star
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Major Everett Vyron Alward (MCSN: 0-7174), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as Commanding Officer of Marine Fighting Squadron ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-THREE (VMF-123), attached to the U.S.S. BENNINGTON (CV-20) operating against enemy Japanese forces in the Tokyo Area, 25 February 1945. Undaunted by reduced visibility and intense blasts from nearby shore batteries, Major Alward boldly countered intercepting hostile air patrols to launch an aggressive and determined strike on a large enemy cargo ship, braving concentrated anti-aircraft fire from the target to press home repeated attacks which severely damaged the vessel and set it ablaze. When his formation was attacked by a numerically superior force of aircraft, Major Alward courageously rallied his flight and skillfully fought off the Japanese until his plane was rendered inoperable. His able leadership and indomitable courage were contributing factors in the success of our mission in this vital theater of war, and his unwavering devotion to duty was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
General Orders: Commander in Chief, Pacific: Serial 03026 (December 11, 1945)
Action Date: February 25, 1945
Service: Marine Corps
Rank: Major
Battalion: Marine Fighting Squadron 123 (VMF-123)
Division: U.S.S. Bennington (CV-20)
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
April 1941
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