WWII Navy USS Juneau MIA KIA Letter Group

WWII Navy USS Juneau MIA KIA Letter Group
WWII USS Juneau Missing in Action (MIA) / Killed In Action (KIA) Letter Group. The group is historically significant. The USS Juneau was sunk by torpedoes from Japanese Submarine I-26 at the Battle of Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942. Ship's Physician, Lieutenant Roger W. O'Neil, MC-V(G), USNR [senior surviving officer], transferred to the USS San Francisco to assist with their wounded approximately one hour before the USS Juneau was sunk. ONeils account of what happened on that day is found on the internet. On and around April 1943 ONeill wrote to the next of kin of those 'Missing in Action' crew members he knew personally. An actual letter sent to a missing crew family member (Nitz) was returned back to ONeil as 'UNCLAIMED'. See this letter for the content ONeill sent to each family. In addition to this returned letter group are 9 other letters from family members responding to him and some filling ONeils request for a picture. In all you will receive 10 letters of historical significance. These letters are emotional and heartbreaking to read. Note: This was the same ship that the 5 Sullivan brothers from the same family were on when struck and destroyed. This prompted the government to enact the 'Sullivan Act'. No letters are from the Sullivan family. The list of crew members that ONeil wrote letters to family members are the following: Adrian Joseph Cahill (Seaman Second Class) James William Cannon (Ships Cook Seaman Second Class) Richard Clyde 'Dick' Glenn (Lieutenant Junior Grade) Robert Francis Gray (Seaman Second Class) John Joseph Loughnane (Seaman Second Class) Homer Paul Menard (Turret Captain First Class CTC (AA)) Theodore Nitz (Storekeeper First Class SK1c) Michael Orias (Ship's Cook Second Class) Harry Erwin Peters(Seaman Second Class) and Henry Neil Reichelt (Seaman Second Class).