USS Arizona Memorial
A year after Henry Symonette's death at Pearl Harbor his family placed a newspaper notice that said "Far away in the briny deep. Lies the body, which God giveth. Leaving us alone to weep."
It was signed by his widow, Mildred; parents, the W.H. Symonettes; and niece, Virginia Gibson.
Mr. Symonette, an officer's cook first class on the U.S.S. Arizona, had served in the Navy for 23 years when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.
He and Mildred Hatcher married in California on Nov. 21, 1938. A newspaper mention of their application for a marriage license said he was 36.
Publicly available records reveal nothing more about Mr. Symonette -- not where he was born, attended school or why he enlisted. (Curiously, a Navy list of survivors says his widow was Tommie May Symonette.)
However, his commitment to military service says a great deal about him and the times in which he lived. Mr. Symonette was black, which meant only one job path was open to him in the segregated Navy. He started as a mess attendant -- a sailor who cooked, cleaned and performed other service tasks. As a cook for the battleship's officers, he had advanced as far as he could go.
Sources: The California Eagle Of Los Angeles; Navy muster roll and casualties list.
(From the USS Arizona Mall Memorial Facebook Page)
A year after Henry Symonette's death at Pearl Harbor his family placed a newspaper notice that said "Far away in the briny deep. Lies the body, which God giveth. Leaving us alone to weep."
It was signed by his widow, Mildred; parents, the W.H. Symonettes; and niece, Virginia Gibson.
Mr. Symonette, an officer's cook first class on the U.S.S. Arizona, had served in the Navy for 23 years when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.
He and Mildred Hatcher married in California on Nov. 21, 1938. A newspaper mention of their application for a marriage license said he was 36.
Publicly available records reveal nothing more about Mr. Symonette -- not where he was born, attended school or why he enlisted. (Curiously, a Navy list of survivors says his widow was Tommie May Symonette.)
However, his commitment to military service says a great deal about him and the times in which he lived. Mr. Symonette was black, which meant only one job path was open to him in the segregated Navy. He started as a mess attendant -- a sailor who cooked, cleaned and performed other service tasks. As a cook for the battleship's officers, he had advanced as far as he could go.
Sources: The California Eagle Of Los Angeles; Navy muster roll and casualties list.
(From the USS Arizona Mall Memorial Facebook Page)
USS Arizona Memorial
A year after Henry Symonette's death at Pearl Harbor his family placed a newspaper notice that said "Far away in the briny deep. Lies the body, which God giveth. Leaving us alone to weep."
It was signed by his widow, Mildred; parents, the W.H. Symonettes; and niece, Virginia Gibson.
Mr. Symonette, an officer's cook first class on the U.S.S. Arizona, had served in the Navy for 23 years when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.
He and Mildred Hatcher married in California on Nov. 21, 1938. A newspaper mention of their application for a marriage license said he was 36.
Publicly available records reveal nothing more about Mr. Symonette -- not where he was born, attended school or why he enlisted. (Curiously, a Navy list of survivors says his widow was Tommie May Symonette.)
However, his commitment to military service says a great deal about him and the times in which he lived. Mr. Symonette was black, which meant only one job path was open to him in the segregated Navy. He started as a mess attendant -- a sailor who cooked, cleaned and performed other service tasks. As a cook for the battleship's officers, he had advanced as far as he could go.
Sources: The California Eagle Of Los Angeles; Navy muster roll and casualties list.
(From the USS Arizona Mall Memorial Facebook Page)
A year after Henry Symonette's death at Pearl Harbor his family placed a newspaper notice that said "Far away in the briny deep. Lies the body, which God giveth. Leaving us alone to weep."
It was signed by his widow, Mildred; parents, the W.H. Symonettes; and niece, Virginia Gibson.
Mr. Symonette, an officer's cook first class on the U.S.S. Arizona, had served in the Navy for 23 years when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.
He and Mildred Hatcher married in California on Nov. 21, 1938. A newspaper mention of their application for a marriage license said he was 36.
Publicly available records reveal nothing more about Mr. Symonette -- not where he was born, attended school or why he enlisted. (Curiously, a Navy list of survivors says his widow was Tommie May Symonette.)
However, his commitment to military service says a great deal about him and the times in which he lived. Mr. Symonette was black, which meant only one job path was open to him in the segregated Navy. He started as a mess attendant -- a sailor who cooked, cleaned and performed other service tasks. As a cook for the battleship's officers, he had advanced as far as he could go.
Sources: The California Eagle Of Los Angeles; Navy muster roll and casualties list.
(From the USS Arizona Mall Memorial Facebook Page)
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from California.
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