PT-109 was sliced in half by a Japanese destroyer on August 1-2, 1943; two crewmen were killed, 11 survivors were rescued by PT-157 on August 8, 1943.
MoMM2/c Harold William Marney was one of two crew members of Lieutenant John F. Kennedy's PT-109 who were lost when the boat was struck at night by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri. Marney was a 19 year old Motor Machinist's Mate, second class, from Springfield, Massachusetts. He was the youngest crewmember of the PT-109 and had come aboard in late July or early August, 1943. He was in the forward gun turret at his station at the time of impact and was killed instantly. His body was never found.
PT 109 commanded by Kennedy was out on patrol on the night of 1-2 August 1943 to intercept Japanese warships in the straits. The PT boat was creeping along to keep the wake and noise to a minimum in order to avoid detection. Around 0200 with Kennedy at the helm, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri traveling at 40 knots cut PT 109 in two in ten seconds.
Harold William Marney, 19, son of Mr and Mrs. Charles V. Marney of 132 Prentice Street, Springfield, Mass. Besides his parents, he also leaves his sister, Elaine Olive Marney, and his brother, Roland Vaughn Marney.
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Springfield Sailor Missing in Action
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Sept. 7 - Harold W. Marney, so of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Marney of Prentice Street, is missing in action, according to an announcement today by the navy department. Marney enlisted in the Navy in November, 1941. A brother, Roland, also is in the Navy.
[Published in The Boston Herald, Boston, MA, Wednesday, September 8, 1943]
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August 3, 2013 - AGAWAM, Mass. (WGGB) – A special honor today for a local veteran who served with John Kennedy in World War II.
Harold Marney of Springfield was 19 years old when he served on PT109 with the future president.
He was one of two crewmen who died 70 years ago after the boat collided with a Japanese ship.
Marney and a fellow crewmate fell overboard and were declared Killed In Action – Buried at Sea.
This morning at the Veterans' Memorial Cemetery in Agawam, Marney received military honors from the USS Constitution Honor Guard, including the dedication of a new headstone.
"He's never really had a formal memorial," said Marney's nephew, Francis Pioreck. "To basically be called out of the blue and say geez there's some people who are interested in making sure that he's memorialized properly for his sacrifice is very overwhelming."
This is the 70th anniversary of the PT109 incident… and the day Marney made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
- - - - -
AGAWAM - The plaintive strains of "Taps" and a devoted contingent of military and friends and family on Saturday followed Harold Marney to his final resting place, 70 years after his death on the PT-109 torpedo patrol boat during World War II.
Family members said Marney, of Springfield, was just 19 and had been on the boat for a week when a Japanese destroyer exploded into the craft near the Solomon Islands. On board was a 26-year-old future U.S. President John F. Kennedy, who survived along with 10 other crew members.
Despite his meteoric rise in politics to the nation's highest office, Kennedy never forgot the experience and kept in touch with family members of the fallen sailors over the years.
Dennis Harkins, 71, of Springfield, was one of two of Marney's nephews who attended the memorial service at Agawam's Veterans' Cemetery.
"We didn't talk about it on Saturday over dinner. But my mother told occasional stories about him. As I understand it, he was the one who sounded the alarm," said Harkins.
Harkins retains a marker for Marney that Kennedy gave to Harkins' grandmother.
"If Kennedy hadn't been involved and gone on to be President, poor Harold would have just been another poor soul lost at sea," Harkins said. "This gives us some kind of closure. He's home now."
Instead, Marney received a headstone at the immaculately kept Agawam Veterans Cemetery and received full honors on Saturday.
Brian Willette, of South Hadley, junior vice commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Hampden County District 7, said Marney is one of 94,000 American military members whose remains were never recovered from battlefields at land and sea.
His headstone in Agawam sits upon a knoll designated as the "in Memory section for service members who were never recovered," Willette told a large group of veterans and supporters gathered at the ceremony.
Marney was among those considered "buried at sea."
"This was a very personal matter for John F. Kennedy and he never got over it," Willette said.
Marney's younger nephew, Francis Piorek, 51, of Tolland, Conn., said he never thought to ask his mother (who died in 1990) whether his uncle had a gravestone of any sort. However, he was hungry for information about his extended family and posted some details on a genealogy web site in 2003. The posting led Willette to him a decade later.
"Brian called me in March and told me what they were doing. It's really nice to know people still care and think about this," Piorek said.
Armand Proulx, 83, was a distant chum of Marney while the two worked at the former Bud Trumbull's golf course in East Springfield in the late 1930s.
Proulx, a retired minister, said he didn't know Marney well since they were several years apart, but felt drawn to the ceremony.
"I remember him as very quiet. I liked him," Prouxl said.
[Published in The Springfield Republican, Saturday, August 3, 2013]
MoMM2/c Harold William Marney was one of two crew members of Lieutenant John F. Kennedy's PT-109 who were lost when the boat was struck at night by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri. Marney was a 19 year old Motor Machinist's Mate, second class, from Springfield, Massachusetts. He was the youngest crewmember of the PT-109 and had come aboard in late July or early August, 1943. He was in the forward gun turret at his station at the time of impact and was killed instantly. His body was never found.
PT 109 commanded by Kennedy was out on patrol on the night of 1-2 August 1943 to intercept Japanese warships in the straits. The PT boat was creeping along to keep the wake and noise to a minimum in order to avoid detection. Around 0200 with Kennedy at the helm, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri traveling at 40 knots cut PT 109 in two in ten seconds.
Harold William Marney, 19, son of Mr and Mrs. Charles V. Marney of 132 Prentice Street, Springfield, Mass. Besides his parents, he also leaves his sister, Elaine Olive Marney, and his brother, Roland Vaughn Marney.
- - - - -
Springfield Sailor Missing in Action
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Sept. 7 - Harold W. Marney, so of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Marney of Prentice Street, is missing in action, according to an announcement today by the navy department. Marney enlisted in the Navy in November, 1941. A brother, Roland, also is in the Navy.
[Published in The Boston Herald, Boston, MA, Wednesday, September 8, 1943]
- - - - -
August 3, 2013 - AGAWAM, Mass. (WGGB) – A special honor today for a local veteran who served with John Kennedy in World War II.
Harold Marney of Springfield was 19 years old when he served on PT109 with the future president.
He was one of two crewmen who died 70 years ago after the boat collided with a Japanese ship.
Marney and a fellow crewmate fell overboard and were declared Killed In Action – Buried at Sea.
This morning at the Veterans' Memorial Cemetery in Agawam, Marney received military honors from the USS Constitution Honor Guard, including the dedication of a new headstone.
"He's never really had a formal memorial," said Marney's nephew, Francis Pioreck. "To basically be called out of the blue and say geez there's some people who are interested in making sure that he's memorialized properly for his sacrifice is very overwhelming."
This is the 70th anniversary of the PT109 incident… and the day Marney made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
- - - - -
AGAWAM - The plaintive strains of "Taps" and a devoted contingent of military and friends and family on Saturday followed Harold Marney to his final resting place, 70 years after his death on the PT-109 torpedo patrol boat during World War II.
Family members said Marney, of Springfield, was just 19 and had been on the boat for a week when a Japanese destroyer exploded into the craft near the Solomon Islands. On board was a 26-year-old future U.S. President John F. Kennedy, who survived along with 10 other crew members.
Despite his meteoric rise in politics to the nation's highest office, Kennedy never forgot the experience and kept in touch with family members of the fallen sailors over the years.
Dennis Harkins, 71, of Springfield, was one of two of Marney's nephews who attended the memorial service at Agawam's Veterans' Cemetery.
"We didn't talk about it on Saturday over dinner. But my mother told occasional stories about him. As I understand it, he was the one who sounded the alarm," said Harkins.
Harkins retains a marker for Marney that Kennedy gave to Harkins' grandmother.
"If Kennedy hadn't been involved and gone on to be President, poor Harold would have just been another poor soul lost at sea," Harkins said. "This gives us some kind of closure. He's home now."
Instead, Marney received a headstone at the immaculately kept Agawam Veterans Cemetery and received full honors on Saturday.
Brian Willette, of South Hadley, junior vice commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Hampden County District 7, said Marney is one of 94,000 American military members whose remains were never recovered from battlefields at land and sea.
His headstone in Agawam sits upon a knoll designated as the "in Memory section for service members who were never recovered," Willette told a large group of veterans and supporters gathered at the ceremony.
Marney was among those considered "buried at sea."
"This was a very personal matter for John F. Kennedy and he never got over it," Willette said.
Marney's younger nephew, Francis Piorek, 51, of Tolland, Conn., said he never thought to ask his mother (who died in 1990) whether his uncle had a gravestone of any sort. However, he was hungry for information about his extended family and posted some details on a genealogy web site in 2003. The posting led Willette to him a decade later.
"Brian called me in March and told me what they were doing. It's really nice to know people still care and think about this," Piorek said.
Armand Proulx, 83, was a distant chum of Marney while the two worked at the former Bud Trumbull's golf course in East Springfield in the late 1930s.
Proulx, a retired minister, said he didn't know Marney well since they were several years apart, but felt drawn to the ceremony.
"I remember him as very quiet. I liked him," Prouxl said.
[Published in The Springfield Republican, Saturday, August 3, 2013]
PT-109 was sliced in half by a Japanese destroyer on August 1-2, 1943; two crewmen were killed, 11 survivors were rescued by PT-157 on August 8, 1943.
MoMM2/c Harold William Marney was one of two crew members of Lieutenant John F. Kennedy's PT-109 who were lost when the boat was struck at night by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri. Marney was a 19 year old Motor Machinist's Mate, second class, from Springfield, Massachusetts. He was the youngest crewmember of the PT-109 and had come aboard in late July or early August, 1943. He was in the forward gun turret at his station at the time of impact and was killed instantly. His body was never found.
PT 109 commanded by Kennedy was out on patrol on the night of 1-2 August 1943 to intercept Japanese warships in the straits. The PT boat was creeping along to keep the wake and noise to a minimum in order to avoid detection. Around 0200 with Kennedy at the helm, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri traveling at 40 knots cut PT 109 in two in ten seconds.
Harold William Marney, 19, son of Mr and Mrs. Charles V. Marney of 132 Prentice Street, Springfield, Mass. Besides his parents, he also leaves his sister, Elaine Olive Marney, and his brother, Roland Vaughn Marney.
- - - - -
Springfield Sailor Missing in Action
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Sept. 7 - Harold W. Marney, so of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Marney of Prentice Street, is missing in action, according to an announcement today by the navy department. Marney enlisted in the Navy in November, 1941. A brother, Roland, also is in the Navy.
[Published in The Boston Herald, Boston, MA, Wednesday, September 8, 1943]
- - - - -
August 3, 2013 - AGAWAM, Mass. (WGGB) – A special honor today for a local veteran who served with John Kennedy in World War II.
Harold Marney of Springfield was 19 years old when he served on PT109 with the future president.
He was one of two crewmen who died 70 years ago after the boat collided with a Japanese ship.
Marney and a fellow crewmate fell overboard and were declared Killed In Action – Buried at Sea.
This morning at the Veterans' Memorial Cemetery in Agawam, Marney received military honors from the USS Constitution Honor Guard, including the dedication of a new headstone.
"He's never really had a formal memorial," said Marney's nephew, Francis Pioreck. "To basically be called out of the blue and say geez there's some people who are interested in making sure that he's memorialized properly for his sacrifice is very overwhelming."
This is the 70th anniversary of the PT109 incident… and the day Marney made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
- - - - -
AGAWAM - The plaintive strains of "Taps" and a devoted contingent of military and friends and family on Saturday followed Harold Marney to his final resting place, 70 years after his death on the PT-109 torpedo patrol boat during World War II.
Family members said Marney, of Springfield, was just 19 and had been on the boat for a week when a Japanese destroyer exploded into the craft near the Solomon Islands. On board was a 26-year-old future U.S. President John F. Kennedy, who survived along with 10 other crew members.
Despite his meteoric rise in politics to the nation's highest office, Kennedy never forgot the experience and kept in touch with family members of the fallen sailors over the years.
Dennis Harkins, 71, of Springfield, was one of two of Marney's nephews who attended the memorial service at Agawam's Veterans' Cemetery.
"We didn't talk about it on Saturday over dinner. But my mother told occasional stories about him. As I understand it, he was the one who sounded the alarm," said Harkins.
Harkins retains a marker for Marney that Kennedy gave to Harkins' grandmother.
"If Kennedy hadn't been involved and gone on to be President, poor Harold would have just been another poor soul lost at sea," Harkins said. "This gives us some kind of closure. He's home now."
Instead, Marney received a headstone at the immaculately kept Agawam Veterans Cemetery and received full honors on Saturday.
Brian Willette, of South Hadley, junior vice commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Hampden County District 7, said Marney is one of 94,000 American military members whose remains were never recovered from battlefields at land and sea.
His headstone in Agawam sits upon a knoll designated as the "in Memory section for service members who were never recovered," Willette told a large group of veterans and supporters gathered at the ceremony.
Marney was among those considered "buried at sea."
"This was a very personal matter for John F. Kennedy and he never got over it," Willette said.
Marney's younger nephew, Francis Piorek, 51, of Tolland, Conn., said he never thought to ask his mother (who died in 1990) whether his uncle had a gravestone of any sort. However, he was hungry for information about his extended family and posted some details on a genealogy web site in 2003. The posting led Willette to him a decade later.
"Brian called me in March and told me what they were doing. It's really nice to know people still care and think about this," Piorek said.
Armand Proulx, 83, was a distant chum of Marney while the two worked at the former Bud Trumbull's golf course in East Springfield in the late 1930s.
Proulx, a retired minister, said he didn't know Marney well since they were several years apart, but felt drawn to the ceremony.
"I remember him as very quiet. I liked him," Prouxl said.
[Published in The Springfield Republican, Saturday, August 3, 2013]
MoMM2/c Harold William Marney was one of two crew members of Lieutenant John F. Kennedy's PT-109 who were lost when the boat was struck at night by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri. Marney was a 19 year old Motor Machinist's Mate, second class, from Springfield, Massachusetts. He was the youngest crewmember of the PT-109 and had come aboard in late July or early August, 1943. He was in the forward gun turret at his station at the time of impact and was killed instantly. His body was never found.
PT 109 commanded by Kennedy was out on patrol on the night of 1-2 August 1943 to intercept Japanese warships in the straits. The PT boat was creeping along to keep the wake and noise to a minimum in order to avoid detection. Around 0200 with Kennedy at the helm, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri traveling at 40 knots cut PT 109 in two in ten seconds.
Harold William Marney, 19, son of Mr and Mrs. Charles V. Marney of 132 Prentice Street, Springfield, Mass. Besides his parents, he also leaves his sister, Elaine Olive Marney, and his brother, Roland Vaughn Marney.
- - - - -
Springfield Sailor Missing in Action
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Sept. 7 - Harold W. Marney, so of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Marney of Prentice Street, is missing in action, according to an announcement today by the navy department. Marney enlisted in the Navy in November, 1941. A brother, Roland, also is in the Navy.
[Published in The Boston Herald, Boston, MA, Wednesday, September 8, 1943]
- - - - -
August 3, 2013 - AGAWAM, Mass. (WGGB) – A special honor today for a local veteran who served with John Kennedy in World War II.
Harold Marney of Springfield was 19 years old when he served on PT109 with the future president.
He was one of two crewmen who died 70 years ago after the boat collided with a Japanese ship.
Marney and a fellow crewmate fell overboard and were declared Killed In Action – Buried at Sea.
This morning at the Veterans' Memorial Cemetery in Agawam, Marney received military honors from the USS Constitution Honor Guard, including the dedication of a new headstone.
"He's never really had a formal memorial," said Marney's nephew, Francis Pioreck. "To basically be called out of the blue and say geez there's some people who are interested in making sure that he's memorialized properly for his sacrifice is very overwhelming."
This is the 70th anniversary of the PT109 incident… and the day Marney made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
- - - - -
AGAWAM - The plaintive strains of "Taps" and a devoted contingent of military and friends and family on Saturday followed Harold Marney to his final resting place, 70 years after his death on the PT-109 torpedo patrol boat during World War II.
Family members said Marney, of Springfield, was just 19 and had been on the boat for a week when a Japanese destroyer exploded into the craft near the Solomon Islands. On board was a 26-year-old future U.S. President John F. Kennedy, who survived along with 10 other crew members.
Despite his meteoric rise in politics to the nation's highest office, Kennedy never forgot the experience and kept in touch with family members of the fallen sailors over the years.
Dennis Harkins, 71, of Springfield, was one of two of Marney's nephews who attended the memorial service at Agawam's Veterans' Cemetery.
"We didn't talk about it on Saturday over dinner. But my mother told occasional stories about him. As I understand it, he was the one who sounded the alarm," said Harkins.
Harkins retains a marker for Marney that Kennedy gave to Harkins' grandmother.
"If Kennedy hadn't been involved and gone on to be President, poor Harold would have just been another poor soul lost at sea," Harkins said. "This gives us some kind of closure. He's home now."
Instead, Marney received a headstone at the immaculately kept Agawam Veterans Cemetery and received full honors on Saturday.
Brian Willette, of South Hadley, junior vice commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Hampden County District 7, said Marney is one of 94,000 American military members whose remains were never recovered from battlefields at land and sea.
His headstone in Agawam sits upon a knoll designated as the "in Memory section for service members who were never recovered," Willette told a large group of veterans and supporters gathered at the ceremony.
Marney was among those considered "buried at sea."
"This was a very personal matter for John F. Kennedy and he never got over it," Willette said.
Marney's younger nephew, Francis Piorek, 51, of Tolland, Conn., said he never thought to ask his mother (who died in 1990) whether his uncle had a gravestone of any sort. However, he was hungry for information about his extended family and posted some details on a genealogy web site in 2003. The posting led Willette to him a decade later.
"Brian called me in March and told me what they were doing. It's really nice to know people still care and think about this," Piorek said.
Armand Proulx, 83, was a distant chum of Marney while the two worked at the former Bud Trumbull's golf course in East Springfield in the late 1930s.
Proulx, a retired minister, said he didn't know Marney well since they were several years apart, but felt drawn to the ceremony.
"I remember him as very quiet. I liked him," Prouxl said.
[Published in The Springfield Republican, Saturday, August 3, 2013]
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