HAROLD C. POUND, LCDR, USN
Harold Pound '25
Lucky Bag
From the 1925 Lucky Bag:
Harold Clay Pound
Muskogee, Oklahoma
"Froggy"
"ANYBODY got any chow?" Perhaps a slight excess of avoirdupois on Froggy is due to this very remark made by him occasionally. The little extra weight never detracted from his ability on the dance floor, nor did it prevent him from having pronounced snakish tendencies; but it did prove troublesome during those weary hours spent in the pool under the hawk eye of Sir H. Ortland when the M. C. yelled, "Fall in the Sub-Squad!"
Oklahoma is so far away and Washington is so near. Perhaps that is one reason why Froggy came to know so many of the fair sex there. And apropos of the deadly species he may be questioned as to the origin of the remark addressed to him, "Young man, what are your intentions toward my daughter?"
"Oh, your name is Pound, is it? Well, it should be ton!" And so, upon the urgent request of his company officer first class year, Frog went put for company football!
"If you're in the choir you don't have to go to drill Saturday mornings, do you?" and Frog joined the choir. An ardent devotee of the Cosmo and Radiator Club, here's to him.
Choir (4, 3, 2, 1); Sub-Squad (4, 3, 2); Log Staff (4).
Harold Clay Pound
Muskogee, Oklahoma
"Froggy"
"ANYBODY got any chow?" Perhaps a slight excess of avoirdupois on Froggy is due to this very remark made by him occasionally. The little extra weight never detracted from his ability on the dance floor, nor did it prevent him from having pronounced snakish tendencies; but it did prove troublesome during those weary hours spent in the pool under the hawk eye of Sir H. Ortland when the M. C. yelled, "Fall in the Sub-Squad!"
Oklahoma is so far away and Washington is so near. Perhaps that is one reason why Froggy came to know so many of the fair sex there. And apropos of the deadly species he may be questioned as to the origin of the remark addressed to him, "Young man, what are your intentions toward my daughter?"
"Oh, your name is Pound, is it? Well, it should be ton!" And so, upon the urgent request of his company officer first class year, Frog went put for company football!
"If you're in the choir you don't have to go to drill Saturday mornings, do you?" and Frog joined the choir. An ardent devotee of the Cosmo and Radiator Club, here's to him.
Choir (4, 3, 2, 1); Sub-Squad (4, 3, 2); Log Staff (4).
Loss
Harold was lost when USS Pillsbury (DD 227) was sunk by a superior Japanese surface force in a night action on March 2, 1942, 200 miles east of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. He was the ship's commanding officer.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Harold graduated from Central High School in Muskogee in 1920. He was on the negative debate team in the tri-city contest in March. The subject was the compulsory arbitration of all labor disputes, but Harold’s team lost to the Oklahoma City team. He played Right Honorable Sir Joseph Porter, K. C. B., First Lord of the Admiralty in the H. M. S. Pinafore production in Muskogee in April.
Harold then worked for Bradstreet’s in Muskogee until receiving his appointment to the Naval Academy by Congressman W. W. Hastings.
His wife was Katharine and daughter Nanine.
His father W. Franklin G. Pound, a locomotive engineer, died in 1932. His mother Florence died in 1923 after a long illness. His sister was Helen Elizabeth. Harold visited his mother and grandfather Harvey Snyder in Hutchinson in September, 1922.
His wife was listed as next of kin.
Photographs
From his high school yearbook
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander Harold Clay Pound (NSN: 0-59604), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Destroyer U.S.S. PILLSBURY (DD-227), in action against enemy Japanese naval forces at Badoeng Straits off the Island of Bali, Netherlands East Indies, on the night of 19 - 20 February 1942. During a night engagement in the Strait of Lombok, with his ship illuminated by an overwhelming force of enemy destroyers and cruisers, Lieutenant Commander Pound skillfully maneuvered his ship to counter the enemy's cross-fire with the most effective use of his own batteries. His daring and courageous tactics in moving to the assistance of an accompanying vessel were instrumental in saving that ship and contributed materially to the serious damage on the enemy by our forces. By his expert seamanship and loyal devotion to duty he was able to retire without damage or loss to his ship or her personnel. Lieutenant Commander Pound's inspiring leadership and the valiant devotion to duty of his command contributed in large measure to the outstanding success of these vital missions and reflect great credit upon the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
Service: Navy
Division: U.S.S. Pillsbury (DD-227) General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 317 (August 1943)
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.
July 1925
October 1925
January 1926
October 1926
January 1927
April 1927
October 1928
January 1929
April 1929
July 1929
October 1929
January 1930
April 1930
January 1931
April 1931
July 1931
October 1931
January 1932
April 1932
April 1933
July 1933
October 1933
April 1934
July 1934
October 1934
January 1935
April 1935
October 1935
January 1936
April 1936
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
LT Robert Bedilion '22
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LT Richard Baron '24
LT Richard Gingras '25
LT William Graham, Jr. '25
LT Andrew Harris '25
LT Ralph Hickox '27
LTjg John Bermingham '29
LTjg Egbert Roth '29
January 1938
LT Robert Bedilion '22
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LT Richard Baron '24
LT Richard Gingras '25
LT William Graham, Jr. '25
LT Andrew Harris '25
LT Ralph Hickox '27
LT John Bermingham '29
LT Egbert Roth '29
July 1938
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LT Richard Baron '24
LT William Graham, Jr. '25
LT Andrew Harris '25
LT Hilan Ebert '26
LT John Bermingham '29
LT Egbert Roth '29
LT Victor Gaulin '30
LTjg Russell Ross '30
LT John Bisson '30
LTjg Raymond Mayo '30
January 1939
LCDR Robert Bedilion '22
LCDR William Hobby, Jr. '23
LT Richard Baron '24
LT William Graham, Jr. '25
LT Andrew Harris '25
LT Hilan Ebert '26
LT John Bermingham '29
LT Egbert Roth '29
LT Victor Gaulin '30
LT Russell Ross '30
LT John Bisson '30
October 1939
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
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