LENARD O. REICHEL, LT, USN

Lenard Reichel '39

Date of birth: April 11, 1915

Date of death: January 5, 1943

Age: 27

Lucky Bag

From the 1939 Lucky Bag:

LENARD OYEN REICHEL

Paw Paw, Michigan

Len

What do we desire in a friend? Common interests, sense of humor, cheerfulness, and thoughtfulness are some of the more important qualities —- and Deacon has them all. His wide circle of friends is accounted for by his wide diversity of interests. Whether it's battalion sports in all seasons, a Sep leave fishing trip in his home state, or a bicycle tour in Sweden, he loves the outdoors and real exercise. Possessing the mentality necessary to a star man, his mind is yet always busy on some practical design or startling invention. He by no means avoids the social field, as anyone will discover by swapping leave stories with him. His amiability, unselfishness, and readiness to help make Deac not just another classmate but a true friend.

Company Rifle 3, 2, 1; Battalion Gym 2, 1; Battalion Football 3; Radio Club 4, 3, 2, 1; Language Club 2, 1; 2 Stripes.

LENARD OYEN REICHEL

Paw Paw, Michigan

Len

What do we desire in a friend? Common interests, sense of humor, cheerfulness, and thoughtfulness are some of the more important qualities —- and Deacon has them all. His wide circle of friends is accounted for by his wide diversity of interests. Whether it's battalion sports in all seasons, a Sep leave fishing trip in his home state, or a bicycle tour in Sweden, he loves the outdoors and real exercise. Possessing the mentality necessary to a star man, his mind is yet always busy on some practical design or startling invention. He by no means avoids the social field, as anyone will discover by swapping leave stories with him. His amiability, unselfishness, and readiness to help make Deac not just another classmate but a true friend.

Company Rifle 3, 2, 1; Battalion Gym 2, 1; Battalion Football 3; Radio Club 4, 3, 2, 1; Language Club 2, 1; 2 Stripes.

Loss

Lenard was a pilot with Cruiser Scouting Squadron Detachment (Tulagi), Guadalcanal, when he was declared missing on January 5, 1943. Have been unable to locate any further information.

He appears to have served aboard USS Northampton (CA 26) — likely as a member of the scouting detachment — prior to that ship's loss at the Battle of Tassafaronga on December 1, 1942.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Lenard was born in Illinois. He graduated in 1932 from Lake View High School in Chicago. Science curriculum. R.O.T.C. For three years, he attended Paw Paw High School, Paw Paw, Michigan.
Lenard married Katherine in May 1941, in Yuma, Arizona. Ensign John Bartol (’38) married Katherine’s sister Clarice in April 1940.
In 1920 Chicago, Lenard's father Fred was a cutter for a tailor. His father died on August 9, 1925. In 1930 Lenard and his brother Fred lived with their uncle and aunt Louis and Marion Jacobs in Paw Paw. Brother Fred was prisoner of war and later became an attorney.
His mother Ruth (Oyen) a graduate of Chicago Conservatory of Music and well-known music teacher and church woman, died in 1972.

His wife, Katherine, was listed as next of kin.

Lenard is remembered at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Photographs

From the Lucky Bag

Silver Star

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lieutenant Leonard O. Reichel, United States Navy, for gallantry in action as a Patrol Plane Pilot in the Solomon Islands from December to January 1943. Lieutenant Reichel participated in many hazardous operations despite extremely unfavorable weather. On twelve occasions he assisted PT-boat squadrons by illuminating evasive hostile targets in the face of heavy anti-aircraft fire. His gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 320 (November 1943)
Action Date: August - January 1943
Service: Navy
Battalion: Patrol Squadron

(Note misspelling of first name. Middle initial and home of record (Los Angeles) are both consistent with Lenard, as is his service as a pilot in a patrol squadron.)

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

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.