Miguel Nava '17
On February 7, 2024 Captain Miguel Nava, USMC '17 was killed in a helicopter crash. Please consider a donation to his family to honor his service, and the incredible sacrifice of his wife and five-month-old son.

STUART W. KING, LTCOL, USMC

From USNA Virtual Memorial Hall
Stuart King '20

Date of birth: September 25, 1897

Date of death: January 12, 1945

Age: 47

Lucky Bag

From the 1920 Lucky Bag:

1920 King LB.jpg

Stuart Waller King

Alexandria, Virginia

"Yokel"

HERE'S a man that puts us all to shame when it comes to ideals, traditions, and blue blood. For we have finally discovered that "Yokel" comes from one of the first families of Virginia, in spite of his protestations to the contrary.

We have only to hear his effervescent eulogies on peanut plantations, the tobacco trade, or the "Big Bool" to realize that "Yokel" is a true autocrat of the old school.

"Yokel" is usually of a serious disposition, but when he laughs the rest laugh with him.

In athletics "Yokel" has shown glimpses of previous powers, and rumor has it that the Old Dominion Boat Club isn't what it used to be since "Yokel" left.

But all the time, " Yokel," we inwardly admire your high ideals and self-sacrificing nature, characteristics that are sure to stand you in as good stead as will the many friendships you have cemented at the Academy.

Honors: Buzzard.


The Class of 1920 was graduated in June 1919 due to World War I. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.

1920 King LB.jpg

Stuart Waller King

Alexandria, Virginia

"Yokel"

HERE'S a man that puts us all to shame when it comes to ideals, traditions, and blue blood. For we have finally discovered that "Yokel" comes from one of the first families of Virginia, in spite of his protestations to the contrary.

We have only to hear his effervescent eulogies on peanut plantations, the tobacco trade, or the "Big Bool" to realize that "Yokel" is a true autocrat of the old school.

"Yokel" is usually of a serious disposition, but when he laughs the rest laugh with him.

In athletics "Yokel" has shown glimpses of previous powers, and rumor has it that the Old Dominion Boat Club isn't what it used to be since "Yokel" left.

But all the time, " Yokel," we inwardly admire your high ideals and self-sacrificing nature, characteristics that are sure to stand you in as good stead as will the many friendships you have cemented at the Academy.

Honors: Buzzard.


The Class of 1920 was graduated in June 1919 due to World War I. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.

Loss

Stuart died in Japanese captivity, probably on January 12, 1945, following his transport aboard the Hell Ship Enoura Maru. (One listing has December 31, 1944; another has January 19, 1945. Believe that the list here, with January 12, 1945, is more accurate.) Stuart had survived the bombing of the Oryoku Maru in December, and was transferred to Enoura Maru where he died right before reaching Takao, Formosa (Jan. 1) or after that ship, too, was bombed (Jan. 9).

He had been captured upon the fall of Corregidor in May 1941.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

In August, 1916, Stuart passed the mental examinations for entrance into the Naval Academy, but the principal passed all his tests. So, Stuart entered V. M. I. as a cadet in the second year having passed examinations for advanced standing. He was in the Class of 1919.

Upon graduation from the Naval Academy in June 1919, Stuart chose the Marine Corps.

He married Mary Louise Cogswell on March 14, 1924, at the Bethel Methodist Episcopal church in Newport News, Virginia. The last she heard from him was a Red Cross prisoner of war message on May 8, 1944. He had been a prisoner at Cabanatuan in the Philippines.

His father Frank Tubman King was a wholesale grocery merchant. His mother was Margaret, brothers Charles and Arthur, and sister Dorothy.

His wife, Mary, was listed as next of kin. He has a memory marker in South Carolina; he is also listed at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Career

He was once a member of VMI's class of 1919.

At the beginning of the war, he was commanding officer of the Marine Barracks, U.S. Naval Base, Subic Bay, Philippines. That unit, which included 3 officers and 73 Marines, was disbanded on December 22, 1942 and personnel transferred to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. Stuart became "technical advisor" and executive officer to Francis Bridget '21, a patrol plane pilot who was then also the commander of the Naval Battalion. They were involved in action on the Bataan peninsula and later on Corregidor island.

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.

January 1920
2nd Lieutenant, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Norfolk, Virginia

January 1921
2nd Lieutenant, 1st Provisional Brigade Marines, Haiti

Others at this command:
January 1922
2nd Lieutenant, 1st Brigade Marines, Haiti

Others at this command:
May 1923
2nd Lieutenant, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina
July 1923
2nd Lieutenant, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina
September 1923
2nd Lieutenant, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina
November 1923
2nd Lieutenant, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina
January 1924
2nd Lieutenant, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina
March 1924
2nd Lieutenant, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina
May 1924
2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Marine Brigade, Dominican Republic
July 1924
2nd Lieutenant, 2nd Marine Brigade, Dominican Republic
September 1924
2nd Lieutenant, 1st Marine Brigade, Haiti
November 1924
2nd Lieutenant, 1st Marine Brigade, Haiti
January 1925
2nd Lieutenant, 1st Marine Brigade, Haiti
March 1925
2nd Lieutenant, 1st Marine Brigade, Haiti
May 1925
1st Lieutenant, 1st Marine Brigade, Haiti
July 1925
1st Lieutenant, 1st Marine Brigade, Haiti
October 1925
1st Lieutenant, 1st Marine Brigade, Haiti
January 1926
1st Lieutenant, 1st Marine Brigade, Haiti
October 1926
1st Lieutenant, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Norfolk, Virginia

January 1927
1st Lieutenant, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Norfolk, Virginia

April 1927
1st Lieutenant, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Norfolk, Virginia
October 1927
1st Lieutenant, 3rd Marine Brigade, China

January 1928
1st Lieutenant, 3rd Marine Brigade, China

April 1928
1st Lieutenant, 3rd Marine Brigade, China

July 1928
1st Lieutenant, 3rd Marine Brigade, China

October 1928
1st Lieutenant, 3rd Marine Brigade, China

Others at this command:
January 1929
1st Lieutenant, 3rd Marine Brigade, China

Others at this command:
April 1929
1st Lieutenant, Marine Barracks, Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia
July 1929
1st Lieutenant, Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.

Others at this command:
October 1929
1st Lieutenant, Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.

Others at this command:
January 1930
1st Lieutenant, Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.

April 1930
1st Lieutenant, USS Pensacola

October 1930
1st Lieutenant, USS Pensacola

Others at this command:
January 1931
1st Lieutenant, USS Pensacola

Others at this command:
April 1931
1st Lieutenant, USS Pensacola

Others at this command:
July 1931
1st Lieutenant, USS Pensacola

October 1931
1st Lieutenant, USS Pensacola

January 1932
1st Lieutenant, staff, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia


Others at or embarked at this command:
1LT David Claude '24 (Expeditionary Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia)
2LT Paul Moret '30 (Expeditionary Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia)
2LT Harold Bauer '30 (Expeditionary Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia)
April 1932
1st Lieutenant, staff, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia


Others at or embarked at this command:
1LT David Claude '24 (Expeditionary Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia)
October 1932
1st Lieutenant, under instruction, Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia

Others at this command:
January 1933
1st Lieutenant, under instruction, Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia

Others at this command:
April 1933
1st Lieutenant, under instruction, Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia

Others at this command:
July 1933
1st Lieutenant, staff, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia

Others at or embarked at this command:
1LT Ronald Boone '20 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia)
1LT Ralph Forsyth '22 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia)
October 1933
1st Lieutenant, staff, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia

Others at or embarked at this command:
1LT Ralph Forsyth '22 (Expeditionary Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia)
April 1934
1st Lieutenant, Fleet Marine Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia

Others at this command:
July 1934
1st Lieutenant, Fleet Marine Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia

Others at this command:
October 1934
1st Lieutenant, Fleet Marine Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia

Others at this command:
January 1935
Captain, Fleet Marine Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia

April 1935
Captain, Fleet Marine Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia

October 1935
Captain, 1st Marine Brigade, Fleet Marine Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia


Others at or embarked at this command:
1LT Paul Moret '30 (Aircraft One, 1st Marine Brigade, Fleet Marine Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia)
January 1936
Captain, 1st Marine Brigade, Fleet Marine Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia

April 1936
Captain, staff, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia


Others at or embarked at this command:
CAPT Ralph Forsyth '22 (1st Marine Brigade, Fleet Marine Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia)
1LT Thomas Jordan '26 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia)
1LT Harold Bauer '30 (Aircraft One, 1st Marine Brigade, Fleet Marine Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia)
1LT Cleo Keen '32 (Aircraft One, 1st Marine Brigade, Fleet Marine Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia)
1LT Hector De Zayas '32 (1st Marine Brigade, Fleet Marine Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia)
2LT David McDougal '33 (1st Marine Brigade, Fleet Marine Force, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia)
July 1936
Captain, Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
January 1937
Captain, Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
April 1937
Captain, Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
September 1937
Captain, Inspector, 8th Battalion, Fleet Marine Corps Reserve, Detroit, Michigan
January 1938
Captain, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.

Others at or embarked at Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.:
LT William France '24 (Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.)
LT Julian Jordan '25 (Receiving Station)
LT William Millican '28 (Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.)
July 1938
Captain, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.:
LCDR Edwin Crouch '21 (Naval Gun Factory)
LTjg Arthur Spring '30 (Naval Gun Factory)
January 1939
Captain, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.:
LCDR Edwin Crouch '21 (Naval Gun Factory)
LT Arthur Spring '30 (Naval Gun Factory)
October 1939
Major, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.

Others at or embarked at Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.:
LCDR Edwin Crouch '21 (Naval Gun Factory)
LT Victor Gaulin '30 (Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.)
June 1940
Major, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines

Others at or embarked at Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines:
LCDR George Brooke '21 (Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines)
LT John Welch '23 (Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines)
LCDR Richard Baron '24 (Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines)
November 1940
Major, commanding officer, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines

Others at or embarked at Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines:
LT John Welch '23 (Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines)
LCDR Richard Baron '24 (Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines)
LT Charles Weschler '32 (Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines)
April 1941
Major, commanding officer, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines


Others at or embarked at Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines:
LT John Welch '23 (Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines)
LCDR Richard Baron '24 (Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines)
LT Charles Weschler '32 (Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines)
LT Robert Gallagher '33 (Navy Yard, Cavite, Philippines)

Memorial Hall Error

Stuart is listed on the killed in action panel in the front of Memorial Hall, but not with his classmates in the Class of 1920.


Class of 1920

Stuart is one of 27 members of the Class of 1920 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

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