Wesley Grant Northey was the son of Samuel James Northey (1879-1951)and Hazel Mae Horton (1891-1980). He was the husband of Mary Ann Federman who he married while on leave from his ship in May of 1944. Their union produced one child, a son named Dennis.

Wes joined the Navy during World War II and was a Coxswain on the USS BUSH, a Fletcher Class destroyer. During the battle of Okinawa, the BUSH was on "radar picket duty" providing naval support for the Marines and Army soldiers who were landing on the island. The ship was struck on three separate occasions by Japanese Kamikaze fighter planes, causing the BUSH to sink. According to the USS BUSH website (http://www.ussbush.com/wnorthey.htm), Wes would "posthumously receive the Silver Star for his efforts that day. He was part of the volunteer crew to man the two forward 40MM guns after the ship was first hit. Specifically, he assisted with action on the port side #42 gun. When the last plane struck the ship, he remained at this station until just before the crash not 10 feet from his gun. His legs were broken. Even so, he remained cheerful and inspirational for his shipmates. Shipmates were able to get him into the water before the ship went down. Ed Bennett, a friend and fellow Coxswain on the BUSH with Wes, reported the following information on the USS BUSH website as he remembered it that fateful day: "The crew members with me that I remember were S1c Northcutt, S1c Floyd, S2c Huntley and S2c Healy. Once the gun was manned, the Gun Boss Lt (jg) Hubbard was verbally yelling over the bridge wing instructing us which targets to take under fire. We fired at several targets for around 10 minutes. This went on until the second plane that eventually hit us was spotted coming in from the starboard bow at a steep target angle diving right at us. I had a perfect view as this was happening right above my head. It looked like it was coming right down my throat .... I bet every other guy in that gun crew thought about bailing out and taking cover. But we stayed. Finally, we saw the plane appear like it was going to miss us high over our heads. We kept firing, pouring shells almost point blank into the underside of the plane .... As the plane flew over the top of us we felt the vibrations of it passing. We felt the ship shaking violently from the impact of the second plane. It seemed we all looked at each other to realize we were lucky to still be alive .... It flew over the ship flying just over the gun director above the bridge area deflecting off the mast and hitting the port midships. There were no more targets ordered so the gun crew started rearming the mount with rounds stored in the rim of the gun tub/shield…. After this time, the Gun Boss verbally ordered, "To fire on a plane coming in from around 100 degrees relative (just aft the starboard beam)." This was our arc of fire so we started firing again and we tracked it around till it flew behind the fantail and out of our sight and ability to keep firing. When the plane crossed to the port side, mount #42 picked it up and began firing. I could easily hear them firing and I could glance across and see the general direction they were facing while firing. Mount #42 kept firing until the plane hit the ship just below mount #42 port side and went into the wardroom. The flames from the explosion spread across the forward superstructure. I saw three men running behind me, the last man slipping and falling. As they ran by the explosion blew me off the Fire/Pointer seat into the gun tub inner combing in front of me. When I recovered from the blast that seemed to go all around me, I got up and looked around. I saw the Port Side of the ship aflame, with what looked like a man still sitting in the Pointer seat of mount #42. He had to have been dead having been burned by the blast. As I left the gun tub going aft, down the starboard passageway, I saw BM1 Northey lying on the deck…. He was the one who had slipped and fell hitting his leg on the metal edge of our gun tub. This fall had broken his leg. When I pulled up his pants leg, I saw that it looked like a compound fracture with the bone sticking out and bleeding very badly. I pulled off my belt and placed it around the bleeding upper leg as a tourniquet. At this point, Lt. (jg) Hubbard came down off the bridge area and assisted me. Northey had no life jacket and none were lying around, so we got some 4 by 4 dunnage out of the overhead storage and tied Northey to the dunnage as best we could. We then lowered Northey over the side into the water. I never saw Northey again". Ed Bennet survived the sinking of the USS BUSH. Wes would die in the water reportedly "while encouraging another shipmate with him to hang on".

Wes's body was never recovered. He is still standing duty on the BUSH in its watery grave with approximately 85 of his shipmates and friends who also lost their lives that day.

Boatswain's Mate Second Class Wesley Grant Northey earned the following military decorations for his service during World War II:

- Silver Star Medal
- Navy & Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon
- Purple Heart
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- World War II Victory Medal
- Philippine Liberation Medal with bronze star
- Philippine Presidential Unit Citation ribbon
- Republic of China War Service Commemorative Medal

Wes is listed on the "Tablets of the Missing" at the Honolulu Memorial Cemetery, Honolulu, Hawaii.

"Non sibi sed patriae" (Not self but country)- the unofficial motto of the US Navy.