WILLIAM L. GUICE, JR., LT, USN

William Guice, Jr. '40

Date of birth: April 23, 1917

Date of death: November 13, 1942

Age: 25

Lucky Bag

From the 1940 Lucky Bag:

WILLIAM LEE GUICE, JR.

Biloxi, Mississippi

Billy

A ship under way with way on, that's Billy. Whether beating against the wind in his battle with academics, or trying to charm young ladies at the hops, he ships no water, for it's all smooth sailing for Bill. The Southern belle and the beauties of the Gulf Coast are his two favorite topics of discussion. If a man needs cheering up, a watch stood for him, or help of any kind, Bill's the friend in need. A serious minded fellow, he strives always for perfection in self and in job. He's the type of man we'd like to have beside us when the going gets tough. Bill is the kind the Navy always needs.

Soccer 4/c; M.P.O.

WILLIAM LEE GUICE, JR.

Biloxi, Mississippi

Billy

A ship under way with way on, that's Billy. Whether beating against the wind in his battle with academics, or trying to charm young ladies at the hops, he ships no water, for it's all smooth sailing for Bill. The Southern belle and the beauties of the Gulf Coast are his two favorite topics of discussion. If a man needs cheering up, a watch stood for him, or help of any kind, Bill's the friend in need. A serious minded fellow, he strives always for perfection in self and in job. He's the type of man we'd like to have beside us when the going gets tough. Bill is the kind the Navy always needs.

Soccer 4/c; M.P.O.

Loss

Billy was lost when USS Barton (DD 599) was sunk during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942. The wartime service of Barton and her officers and crew are detailed in this wonderful history.

Other Information

From The Daily Herald, Biloxi MS, on December 2, 1942:

Lt. (senior grade) William L. Guice Jr., 26, was reported missing in action by the Nayy Department this morning in a telegram sent to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Guice on West Beach, Blloxi.
A graduate of Annapolis, class of 1940, Lt. Guice has seen action in the Hawaiian and Solomon Islands. His ship was en route to Hawaii at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Two months ago Lt. Gulce was home on furlough and visited his family here. He received his promotion to lieutenant senior grade just two weeks ago.
Lt. Guice graduated from Biloxi High School, and went to LSU for one year before going to Annapolis. He has two brothers in the Marines who are also on duty in the Pacific, Lt. Jacob Guice and Lt. Steven Guice.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

In 1930 his father William was an attorney, mother Lee, sisters Martha and Miriam, brothers Jacob, Stephen and Daniel.

His parents were listed as next of kin.

Photographs

From the Lucky Bag

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.