World War II Honoree

Gilman Clarence Dunn

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Auburn, California

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Seaman Second Class. He was inducted into the United States Navy December 23, 1941 at San Francisco, California, with recruit training at the U.S. Naval Training Station San Diego, California. Upon his graduation from boot camp, he was transferred to the USS Blue Destroyer, DD-387 for duty as an on-the-job trainee. On August 7, 1942 the Destroyer and her shipmates, along with an armada of U.S. Battleships, Destroyers, and Cruisers arrived off-shore of Guadalcanal in support of the impending invasion. The Destroyer, while patrolling Iron Bottom Sound was torpedoed by an Imperial Japanese Destroyer August 22, 1942. The attack inflicted a tremendous amount of damage, and the crew began the long battle to save their ship and shipmates. The Warship was scuttled on the 23rd of August after valiant attempts to save her failed. Reported missing in action, lost at sea on the day of the attack in the Southwestern Pacific Theater of Operations. In remembrance of the brave, his name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at the Manila American Cemetery at Fort William-McKinley, Philippine Islands. Later his missing in action status was amended to read killed in action August 23, 1943. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.