World War II Honoree

HUBERT FELTON COMER

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

RAY CITY, Georgia

Honored By

WILLIAM DAVID WILSON

Relationship

AMERICAN LEGION POST 68

He enlisted in the US NAVY on 6 April 1942 in Macon Georgia. He served aboard the Cruiser, USS TUSCALOOSA until he was transferred to the Destroyer Escort USS RICH (DE 695). He was on the USS Rich at her Commissioning. Following a shakedown cruise off Bermuda, the USS Rich was primarily engaged in coastal escort and patrol duty until the end of February 1944. Then assigned to trans-Atlantic escort work, she completed three round-trip crossings by May. On May 10, 1944, Rich departed New York City in escort of a convoy to Britain in what would be her last transit of the North Atlantic. On May 23, 1943 the USS Rich arrived at Londonderry, Northern Ireland, and awaited a convoy to escort back to the United States. Instead, Rich was assigned to the Normandy Invasion force, and commenced preparations for “Operation Neptune”, the naval phase of the invasion of Normandy. She arrived at Plymouth, England on June 4, and was assigned as an escort to the battleship Nevada. On D-Day, 6 June, Rich laid down a smoke screen which foiled an attack by a German E-Boat. On 8 June, two days after the Normandy invasion he was serving on the USS Rich when she hit three German mines off the Normandy coast; and was sunk supporting the D-Day landings at Normandy France. His body was never recovered and he is listed as missing in action. He was a Carpenters Mate Second Class, He is Memorialized at the Tablets of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery Colleville-sur-Mer, France. He received the Purple Heart Medal.