HEROLD A. HARVESON, LTJG, USN

Herold Harveson '37

Date of birth: August 7, 1914

Date of death: December 7, 1941

Age: 27

Lucky Bag

From the 1937 Lucky Bag:

HEROLD ALOYSIUS HARVESON

Lake Charles, Louisiana

"Al" "Harvie"

Remember the dark-haired fellow who was always trying something new; the plebe who had the Regiment standing on their chairs when he danced in the mess hall? The boy who was to be found right in the middle of the fun? Well—that's Al! Although he was reciting "Christmas in the Messhall" for the second time at youngster Christmas, after the horizontal-bar had won the first round with him, his spirits were still high. Barring only the occasional discussion on the pronunciation of "Loo-weez'-iana," the four years with Al have been really enjoyable.

Gym 3. Fencing 4. Stage Gang 4, 3. Two Stripes.

HEROLD ALOYSIUS HARVESON

Lake Charles, Louisiana

"Al" "Harvie"

Remember the dark-haired fellow who was always trying something new; the plebe who had the Regiment standing on their chairs when he danced in the mess hall? The boy who was to be found right in the middle of the fun? Well—that's Al! Although he was reciting "Christmas in the Messhall" for the second time at youngster Christmas, after the horizontal-bar had won the first round with him, his spirits were still high. Barring only the occasional discussion on the pronunciation of "Loo-weez'-iana," the four years with Al have been really enjoyable.

Gym 3. Fencing 4. Stage Gang 4, 3. Two Stripes.

Loss

Herold was lost when USS Utah (AG 16) was sunk on December 7, 1941 during the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor.

His mother was listed as next of kin. There is a memorial plaque at the Utah State Capitol building as well as the USS Utah Memorial in Pearl Harbor, HI honoring the 54 men who died on December 7, 1941.

Namesake

USS Harveson (DE 316) was named for Herold; the ship was sponsored by his mother and commissioned in October 1943.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.