HENRY L. BECKER, ENS, USNR
Henry Becker '43
Henry Louis Becker was admitted to the Naval Academy from Mingo Junction, Ohio on June 7, 1939 at age 19 years 5 months.
He was "deficient in studies, first term's work. Recommended to be dropped. Permitted to resign" from the Naval Academy on February 10, 1940.
Lucky Bag
Henry Louis Becker is listed with 195 others below this inscription:
NOT ALL OF US who joined the Class of '43 stayed with us to that one broad stripe. Many fell at the end of plebe year, the casualty list mounted at the end of youngster year and a very few left us when the course was almost run. Reasons were varied and diverse: academic tangles, physical disabilities, civilian leanings.... Many went into civilian occupations, some were drafted, others became flyers and a few volunteered for foreign military service. Some left us early, many stayed for a long while, but none will be forgotten.
Photographs
A photograph of the portrait hanging in the City Building, Mingo Junction, Ohio. Courtesy Mrs. Jodilynn Fitzgerald, a Village Councilwoman.
Loss
Henry was lost on September 5, 1942 when the SBD Dauntless dive bomber he was piloting crashed near Coronado, California. (Information from the September 1944 issue of Shipmate.)
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
In 1940 Mingo Junction, Ohio, his father Harry was the county sheriff, mother Emma, and Henry was a salesman in a grocery store. In 1930, the family lived in Canton, and his father was a plumber at a steel mill. His father later was the superintendent of the Jefferson County Home. He died in 1961, and Henry's mother died in 1966.
He earned his wings as naval aviator #13563 on May 20, 1942.
Henry is buried in Ohio and was survived by his parents.
Memorial Hall Error
Henry is not listed with his classmates. He was identified through the diligent efforts of Leslie Poche, a volunteer who combed through Shipmate issues to find operational losses not accounted for in Memorial Hall.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
