World War II Honoree

Richard James Ahern

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Van Nuys, California

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Fireman First Class. Inducted into the United States Navy October 10, 1939 at San Francisco, California, with recruit training at the U.S. Naval Training Station San Diego, California. Upon his graduation from boot camp and Fire Training, he was transferred to the USS Arizona Battleship, BB-39 for duty as a Fireman, and based at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii. On Sunday Morning, December 7, 1941 the Emperor of Japan and his Naval Aviators launched their well-planned attack on the U.S. Fleet at Pearl Harbor and other military installations on Oahu. The Arizona along with her shipmates lay moored on Ford Island came under attack, and she was mortally wounded by an armor piercing bomb, igniting the ship’s forward ammunition magazine. Reported missing in action or buried at sea succeeding the attack. In remembrance of the brave, his name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at Honolulu Memorial Location: Honolulu, Hawaii. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.