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Contact Info
Home Town Floresville
Date of Passing Jun 15, 1993
Location of Interment Texas State Cemetery - Austin, Texas
Wall/Plot Coordinates Plot: Republic Hill, Section 2, Row P, Number 9
On November 22, 1963, Connally was sitting in the jump seat of Kennedy's open-topped limo as the president visited Dallas. When shots were fired, Connally was hit by a bullet that passed through Kennedy. The governor was wounded on his back, chest, wrist and thigh, and drifted in and out of consciousness for days. He finally became alert as he watched television coverage of Kennedy's funeral.
For a time, Connally was convinced that Kennedy's alleged assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, had intended to kill him instead. The reason, he said, was that Oswald had once petitioned Connally, when he was Secretary of the Navy, to upgrade his discharge from the Marines. Connally had never responded to the request.
World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Asiatic-Pacific Specified Raids (1944)
From Month/Year
February / 1944
To Month/Year
October / 1944
Description Not Specified
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
February / 1944
To Month/Year
October / 1944
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories Essex was the lead ship of her class of aircraft carriers. After her shakedown cruise, she joined the Pacific Fleet in May 1943. She launched her aircraft against Japanese positions on Marcus Island on 31 Aug 1943, Wake Island on 5-6 Oct 1943, Tarawa on 18-23 Nov 1943, Kwajalein on 4 Dec 1943, and various targets in the Marshall Islands between 29 Jan and 2 Feb 1944. On 17-18 Feb 1944, she participated in the great carrier raid against Truk, then she proceeded to the Marianas Islands to raid Japanese positions there a few days later. After spending some time in San Francisco for overhaul, she struck Marcus Island on 19-20 May 1944 and Wake Island on 23 May. Between 12 Jun and 10 Aug, she served in the Mariana Islands region in support of the landing and occupation operations. Between 6 and 10 Sep, she launched sorties against Palau Islands, Mindanao of the Philippine Islands, and Japanese shipping in the region. Between 10 and 14 Oct 1944, she struck Okinawa and Taiwan in support of the American invasion of the Philippine Islands; she remained in the area to supply direct support for the Philippines campaign. On 25 Nov 1944, she received battle damage for the first time when a special attack D4Y dive bomber piloted by Lt. Yoshinori Yamaguchi crashed into the port edge of her flight deck, killing 15 and wounding 44. Although the damage caused by the kamikaze attack was serious, she was able to make temporary repairs and remain on the front lines. In Dec 1944, Essex's aircraft supported the Lingayen Gulf landing operations both directly at Luzon and indirectly by striking Taiwan, Sakishima, and Okinawa, which were among the islands she would continue to attack until Feb 1945.