JACK W. WINTLE, LCDR, USN
Jack Wintle '32
Lucky Bag
From the 1932 Lucky Bag:
JACK WILLIAM WINTLE
Pittsburg, Kansas
"Jack" "Garp" "Wintly"
Jack had the distinction of being the first man in '32 to sign the "Big Book," thus receiving the coveted laundry number "2." He hails from way out West in Kansas where men are men and women are glad of it, but, nevertheless, he upholds the good old Navy line and claims, incidentally, to be a buffalo hunter. Jack's sunny disposition and generous ways have made him many friends from the first days of Plebe summer right on through, with the result that everybody knows him and everybody likes him.
The Acs have never caused him to lose either sleep or pounds. He has plenty of reserved boning power stored up in case of need, but it will be unusual if he ever needs it. Just let him put on his glasses for you and you can readily see why all the people say O. K.
He has given his bit to athletics in both football and in basketball and is a member of the reception committee.
Jack gave up a brilliant future as a teacher to cast his lot with us in the Navy. He has all of the qualifications of a good Naval Officer and is headed for a successful career in his chosen profession.
Plebe Football; Basketball; Reception Committee; C.P.O.
JACK WILLIAM WINTLE
Pittsburg, Kansas
"Jack" "Garp" "Wintly"
Jack had the distinction of being the first man in '32 to sign the "Big Book," thus receiving the coveted laundry number "2." He hails from way out West in Kansas where men are men and women are glad of it, but, nevertheless, he upholds the good old Navy line and claims, incidentally, to be a buffalo hunter. Jack's sunny disposition and generous ways have made him many friends from the first days of Plebe summer right on through, with the result that everybody knows him and everybody likes him.
The Acs have never caused him to lose either sleep or pounds. He has plenty of reserved boning power stored up in case of need, but it will be unusual if he ever needs it. Just let him put on his glasses for you and you can readily see why all the people say O. K.
He has given his bit to athletics in both football and in basketball and is a member of the reception committee.
Jack gave up a brilliant future as a teacher to cast his lot with us in the Navy. He has all of the qualifications of a good Naval Officer and is headed for a successful career in his chosen profession.
Plebe Football; Basketball; Reception Committee; C.P.O.
Loss
Jack was killed in action on November 13, 1942 when USS San Francisco (CA 38) was heavily damaged during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.
He was a member of the staff of RADM Daniel Callaghan '11, who was also killed (along with most of the rest of the staff and almost all of San Francisco's senior officers).
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Jack graduated from Pittsburg High School in 1925. General Course. Minden, 1; Pres. Class, 1; Vice Pres. Class, 3; Booster, 4; P. and W. 4; Y. W. Play, 4; Sec. Older Boys’ Conference, 4; Camp Wood, 4; Hi-Y. Cabinet, 4; Nat’l. Honor Society 4; Interclass B. B., 4; Jr. Play, 3.
In March 1928, Jack was president of the student council at Pittsburg State University when he passed the entrance examination to the Naval Academy. He was a member of Kappa Delta Kappa. In 1926, Jack belonged to the Young Men’s Christian Association at the university.
From The Booster (Pittsburg, Kansas) on September 26, 1929:
Jack Wintle, formerly a pupil in the Pittsburg high school, visited us Friday and gave a talk to all of the boys. Mr. Hutchinson introduced the speaker. He paid Jack a tribute by saying he was one of the finest boys ever graduated from Pittsburg High. Jack was a leader in the school activities and the Honor Society.
[After giving a short history of the Navy, he explained the Academy’s schedule and ways to gain entrance.] It costs the government about $23,000 to send a boy through four years at the Academy.
From the Shreveport Journal on July 31, 1942:
Caring for and amusing two healthy and beautiful daughters is the big task that Mrs. Jack Wintle, 832 Wilkinson street, is performing while her husband Com. Jack Wintle, is serving as aide to Admiral Ghormley of the south Pacific fleet.
Her daughters, Mary Jack, 8, and Judy, 3 ½, require most of her time and attention. However, Mrs. Wintle finds time to spend socially with her friends.
Her two children are very fond of music and in the evenings one may hear Mrs. Wintle entertaining them with piano music. However, she asserts that she is not a good musician. Mary Jack and Judy disagree with her – they think that their mother is the best musician in the world.
But the great event in the Wintle household is the reception of a letter from the husband and father who is stationed in far-off New Zealand.
From the Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) on January 12, 1997:
Mary Clyde Wintle, former assistant principal of Byrd High School … died Saturday in Richardson, Texas.
In 1988, she received a Distinguished Teacher Award at the White House. . . .
Lt. Cdr. Wintle was killed by Japanese naval shellfire by the side of Adm. Daniel Callaghan on the bridge of the heavy cruiser USS San Francisco. . . .
Five years ago, Mrs. Wintle traveled to the South Pacific island near which her husband died to take part in the creation of a National Geographic documentary titled The Lost Fleet of Guadalcanal. The exploration of the ships lost in the battle was led by Dr. Robert Ballard, who helped find the hulks of the sunken Titanic and Bismarck.
At that time, Wintle and her eldest daughter, Mary Jack “Jackie” Wintle, took part in a memorial and dedication of a memorial to those who died.
“I threw out a wreath in memory of my husband, she told The Times later. “I couldn’t stop crying, I’d held it back so long.”
From Find A Grave:
Jack William Wintle was born 18 April 1908 at Pittsburg, Kan., and was appointed a midshipman at the Naval Academy on 14 June 1928, graduating 2 June 1932. He reported for duty on USS CALIFORNIA (BB-44) on the 30th and completed a three-year tour of duty in the battleship before being transferred to submarine tender BUSHNELL (AS-2). That assignment lasted 17 months.
On 7 August 1936, he reported to the Puget Sound Navy Yard to help supervise the fitting out of USS PERKINS (DD-377); and he remained in the destroyer after she went into commission on 18 September 1936. In the summer of 1939, Lt. (jg.) Wintle received postgraduate instruction at the Naval Academy before reporting for duty at the Philadelphia Navy Yard to help prepare destroyer DU PONT (DD-152) for recommissioning and service on the Neutrality Patrol. His tour of duty in that destroyer, one of the first in the Atlantic Squadrons to be fitted with sonar, ended in August 1940 when he was sent to New Orleans where he served almost two years instructing NROTC midshipmen.
Late in April 1942, he reported to the Bureau of Navigation in Washington where he learned that his next assignment was to be aide and flag lieutenant to the Commander, South Pacific Area and South Pacific Force. On 15 June 1942, Wintle received his promotion to lieutenant commander and, four days later, reported for duty in his new assignment in the South Pacific.
Lt. Comdr. Wintle served under Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan, Chief of Staff to the Commander, South Pacific Area and South Pacific Force, through the early months of the bitter struggle for Guadalcanal in late 1942. Late in October 1942, when Rear Admiral Callaghan went to sea as the commander of a cruiser-destroyer force, Wintle joined him in his flagship, heavy cruiser SAN FRANCISCO (CA-38), as a member of his staff.
On the night of 12 and 13 November, Callaghan's force met a Japanese raiding force built around battleships HIEI and KIRISHIMA. During the confused melee off Savo Island, SAN FRANCISCO suffered a terrific pounding from enemy ships and briefly lost power completely. At that point, several Japanese salvos scored on her superstructure, obliterating her flag and navigating bridges. All but one member of the admiral's staff were killed, and Lt. Comdr. Wintle was among the casualties.
For this sacrifice, Wintle was awarded the Navy Cross, posthumously…
Wintle's remains were buried at sea, but his widow, before her death, was able to toss a wreath in his honor in Ironbottom Sound for a National Geographic Special.
In November 2012, he was added to the Louisiana Military Hall of Fame.
His wife was listed as next of kin. He was also survived by two daughters.
Photographs
From his high school yearbook
From the Pittsburg State University yearbook
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander Jack William Wintle (NSN: 0-71345), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession on the Staff of the Commander, South Pacific Force, serving on board the Heavy Cruiser U.S.S. SAN FRANCISCO (CA-38), during an engagement with Japanese naval forces near Savo Island on the night of 12 - 13 November, 1942. On this occasion the force to which Lieutenant Commander Wintle was attached engaged at close quarters and defeated a superior enemy force, inflicting heavy damage upon them and preventing the accomplishment of their intended mission. This daring and intrepid attack, brilliantly executed, led to a great victory for his country's forces. By his indomitable fighting spirit, expert seamanship, and gallant devotion to duty, Lieutenant Commander Wintle contributed largely to the success of the battle and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 313 (April 1943)
Action Date: November 12 - 13, 1942
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Company: Staff of the Commander
Regiment: South Pacific Force
Division: U.S.S. San Francisco (CA-38)
Video
The National Geographic special noted above is available on YouTube. Jack is discussed at 1:31:12.
Namesake
USS Wintle (DE 25) was named for Jack. A prior ship had also been named for him, but the ship was immediately transferred to the British.
Memorial Award
The LCDR Jack W. Wintle Award at Tulane ROTC is "presented to the senior navy option midshipman who demonstrates excellence in military character."
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.
October 1932
January 1933
April 1933
July 1933
October 1933
April 1934
July 1934
October 1934
January 1935
April 1935
October 1935
January 1936
April 1936
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
January 1938
July 1938
January 1939
October 1939
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
