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Casualty Info
Home Town Long Beach, CA
Last Address Hettick, IL
Casualty Date Dec 07, 1941
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Other Explosive Device
Location Hawaii
Conflict World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Attack on Pearl Harbor
Location of Interment National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (VA) - Honolulu, Hawaii
Wall/Plot Coordinates G 730
Military Service Number 3 368 574
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Petty Officer Second Class Lawrence McCollom was Killed in Action on December 7, 1941, during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was stationed aboard the USS West Virginia BB-48.
Comments/Citation:
Service number: 3368574
Lawrence Jennings McCollom was born on October 6, 1914 to Jesse Mason McCollom and Mabel Jennings in Barr Township, Hettick, Macoupin County, Illinois where his family lived throughout his life. He had three younger brothers Howard Evan, Maurice, and Homer Lee “Roe,” S Navy asa construction mechanic 2. His father was a farmer in 1920 and 1930.
On November 19, 1935, Lawrence enlisted in the Navy at St. Louis, Missouri as an apprentice seaman, service 3368574. On March 14,1 936, he was first aboard the battleship USS West Virginia (BB-48) and he was promoted to fireman 1c soon thereafter. On November 10, 1939, he reenlisted for another two years. On February 24, 1940, Lawrence married Marie Elizabeth Coleman in Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada with whom he had one son Richard Lawrence McCollom. On February 16, 1941, he was promoted to machinist's mate 2c.
“On the morning of 7 December 1941, West Virginia and the rest of the fleet were moored at Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor; West Virginia was tied alongside Tennessee. Japanese aircraft appeared over the harbor shortly before 08:00, beginning the surprise attack on the base.” “When the Japanese planes came swarming down on Pearl Harbor, the USS West Virginia, also known as “Wee Vee,” was situated among the outboard ships, which ended up absorbing most of the damage as compared to inboard ships such as the USS Tennessee. As the bombs and torpedoes wreaked havoc at Pearl Harbor, the West Virginia was struck by torpedoes a total of nine times, a quarter of all torpedo strikes achieved by the Japanese on the fateful day of December 7th, 1941. Six of the torpedoes struck portside of the West Virginia, which was sitting in 40 feet of water. As water flooded in, causing the battleship to list 15 degrees, Lieutenant Commander John Harper jumped into action. He quickly ordered preventive measures that saved the USS West Virginia from capsizing. Fires broke out across the ship, a result of both the explosives and the inferno caused by the destruction of the USS Arizona, which was leaking oil. As flames consumed Wee Vee, her crew sought safety aboard the USS Tennessee, directly inboard of the West Virginia. Immediately after regrouping, damage-control parties bravely set about efforts to save their ship. Using hoses from the Tennessee, they fought the flames consuming the ship. After burning for 30 hours, the West Virginia sank to the bottom, taking 66 sailors with her.” A total of 106 men were killed in the attack. MM2c McCollom was declared missing and later killed in action. He was initially buried at Halawa Naval Cemetery, Oahu. Hettick, Macoupin County, Illinois. On June 17, 1949, he was reinterred at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, Section Q, Site 730 (Memorial ID 566124831).
Thank you, MM2c McCollom, for your service and sacrifice for our freedom!
This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story. If you noticed anything missing in this profile, you may contact the author. Click on the author’s name located at the bottom of the story page next to the words “added by.”
World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Attack on Pearl Harbor
From Month/Year
December / 1941
To Month/Year
December / 1941
Description The attack on Pearl Harbor, also known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor, the Hawaii Operation or Operation AI by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, and Operation Z during planning, was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory, on the morning of December 7, 1941. The attack led to the United States' entry into World War II.
Japan intended the attack as a preventive action to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan planned in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States. Over the next seven hours there were coordinated Japanese attacks on the U.S.-held Philippines, Guam and Wake Island and on the British Empire in Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
The attack commenced at 7:48 a.m. Hawaiian Time. The base was attacked by 353 Imperial Japanese fighter planes, bombers, and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers. All eight U.S. Navy battleships were damaged, with four sunk. All but Arizona were later raised, and six were returned to service and went on to fight in the war. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and one minelayer. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed; 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 others were wounded. Important base installations such as the power station, shipyard, maintenance, and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building (also home of the intelligence section) were not attacked. Japanese losses were light: 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 64 servicemen killed. One Japanese sailor, Kazuo Sakamaki, was captured.
The attack came as a profound shock to the American people and led directly to the American entry into World War II in both the Pacific and European theaters. The following day, December 8, the United States declared war on Japan. Domestic support for non-interventionism, which had been fading since the Fall of France in 1940,[19] disappeared. Clandestine support of the United Kingdom (e.g., the Neutrality Patrol) was replaced by active alliance. Subsequent operations by the U.S. prompted Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy to declare war on the U.S. on December 11, which was reciprocated by the U.S. the same day.
From the 1950s, several writers alleged that parties high in the U.S. and British governments knew of the attack in advance and may have let it happen (or even encouraged it) with the aim of bringing the U.S. into war. However, this advance-knowledge conspiracy theory is rejected by mainstream historians.
There were numerous historical precedents for unannounced military action by Japan. However, the lack of any formal warning, particularly while negotiations were still apparently ongoing, led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to proclaim December 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy". Because the attack happened without a declaration of war and without explicit warning, the attack on Pearl Harbor was judged by the Tokyo Trials to be a war crime.
