This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Allison Albert (SBTS Writer)-Historian
to remember
Christian, William Garnet, SC2c.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Bluefield, WV
Last Address Harriman, TN
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 Willard Park Cemetery - Harriman, Tennessee
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Petty Officer Second Class William Christian was Killed in Action on December 7, 1941, during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was stationed aboard the USS West Virginia BB-48.
Service number: 2953059
Comments/Citation:
William Garnett Christian-2953059
William Garnett Christian was born on October 30, 1916, in McDowell, West Virginia to George Washinton Christian and Bessie Alice Critchfield. Both George Christian and Bessie Critchfield were born in Tennessee. George Christian died the year of William’s birth from an unknown cause. William had one older brother, Stanley Christian. According to census records, William lived with an aunt and uncle when he was under the age of ten and later lived with a stepdad and three other siblings. William’s highest level of education was completing his first year of high school.
William went on to marry Bertha Louise Kersey on June 13, 1936, at age 19. That same year, Bertha gave birth to their son Wendall on December 8th.
William enlisted in the US Navy on March 11, 1936 and was assigned to the Battleship USS West Virginia from 1936-1941. He earned the rank of Petty Officer Second Class and was a baker on the ship. The USS West Virginia was stationed with the US Pacific Fleet and was in port on Battleship Row at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
On the morning of December 7, 1941, the battleship USS West Virginia (BB-48) was moored in an outward position on battleship row and was hit by at least seven torpedoes, which blew two immense holes in her port side. The crew counter flooded so she did not capsize but sank to the harbor bottom. West Virginia was further damaged by two bombs. When the attack was over, 106 of her crew were killed. She was salvaged, repaired, and returned to active service in July 1944.
William Garnett Christian was killed in action after serving in the US Navy for five years. He was twenty-four years old and had been married for five years. His son was four years old at the time of his father’s death. William Garnett Christian was buried with his crewmates in Hawaii and was later transported in 1948 to Willard Park Cemetery in Harriman, Tennessee. His wife Bertha Louise passed away in 2005 in Orange County, California, and his son Wendall passed away twelve years later in Meridian, Idaho.
Story written by Cassidy Baugh from Brigham Young University
This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see https://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 Together We Served and 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 have any details, photos, or corrections for this story, please click HERE to email Together We Served directly.
