JOHN C. MICHEEL, CDR, USN
John Micheel '40
Lucky Bag
From the 1940 Lucky Bag:
JOHN CARL MICHEEL
Cavour, South Dakota
Mike
Mike is from South Dakota, and though he left the plow for the Navy, he still packs the horse around under his blonde locks. While on the subject of hair, he has continually stymied three roommates by comparing his with their thinning toppers. Yes, he's a blonde Dutchman, and proud of it! Softening the usual blunt Dutch nature, is a great deal of human understanding, as attested by his ready smile and kindly wit. His hobby, in addition to promoting two roommates, is to construct business propositions which more often than not, have a social reform for their background. Good luck, Mike!
Radio Club 4; Hop Committee 1.
JOHN CARL MICHEEL
Cavour, South Dakota
Mike
Mike is from South Dakota, and though he left the plow for the Navy, he still packs the horse around under his blonde locks. While on the subject of hair, he has continually stymied three roommates by comparing his with their thinning toppers. Yes, he's a blonde Dutchman, and proud of it! Softening the usual blunt Dutch nature, is a great deal of human understanding, as attested by his ready smile and kindly wit. His hobby, in addition to promoting two roommates, is to construct business propositions which more often than not, have a social reform for their background. Good luck, Mike!
Radio Club 4; Hop Committee 1.
Loss
John was killed in action on January 31, 1953 when the AD-3 Skyraider he was piloting was shot down by anti-aircraft fire over North Korea. He was commanding officer of Attack Squadron (VA) 923, flying from USS Oriskany (CVA 34).
Other Information
From Find a Grave:
USNA Class of 1940, Commander Micheel was a veteran of World War II. In Korea, he was the pilot of an AD-3 Skyraider dive bomber and the Commanding Officer of Attack Squadron 923 aboard the USS ORISKANY (CVA-34). On February 1, 1953, while leading an attack on an enemy bridge in the "Punchbowl" area of North Korea, his aircraft was struck by enemy anti-aircraft fire, lost its wing and crashed. Through his skill and courage, he destroyed a major section of the bridge before crashing to the ground. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
For his leadership and valor, Commander Micheel was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, the Republic of Korea War Service Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.
From researcher Kathy Franz:
His mother was Lizzie, and his father August was a farmer born in Germany. Five brothers, William, August Jr., Arthur, George, and Charles. Four sisters, Katie, Martha, Irene and Helen.
The Enterprise (Kennard, Nebraska) reported on June 25, 1953 that he had enlisted in the Navy in 1933. He was promoted to "Commander in December 1951 and did temporary duty in Korea and in March, 1952 was given command of Attack Squadron 923 which was serving in Pacific waters."
He has a memory marker in South Dakota.
Photographs
From the Lucky Bag
From Oriskany's cruise book.
Distinguished Flying Cross
From Hall of Valor:
(Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Commander John Carl Micheel (NSN: 0-122822), United States Navy, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight while serving as Commanding Officer of Attack Squadron NINE HUNDRED TWENTY-THREE (VA-923), embarked in U.S.S. ORISKANY (CVA-34), in action against enemy aggressor forces in Korea on 1 February 1953.
General Orders: All Hands (May 1954)
Action Date: February 1, 1953
Rank: Commander
Company: Attack Squadron 923 (VA-923)
Division: U.S.S. Oriskany (CVA-34)
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.
Note
Thank you to his great niece who emailed in June 2023 to correct the name of one of his sisters.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
