MILLARD J. KLEIN, LCDR, USN

Millard Klein '31

Date of birth: July 25, 1908

Date of death: October 9, 1943

Age: 35

Lucky Bag

From the 1931 Lucky Bag:

Millard Jefferson Klein

Knoxville, Tennessee

"Mike"

Curly hair, a twinkling eye, a fluent tongue, can spell but one thing. Take a glance at the picture again, for Tennessee will, not often produce such as Alike. He comes to us from the great Smokies, and many are the tales with which he entertains us about that unusual country; its customs, traditions, and "just over the next hill" stories. Talking in a slow absorbing manner, he holds us by his words; but don't listen too long, for he will have you convinced that Neptune conquered Greece.

Perseverance is a quality unusually developed in Mike. Not many of us can take as many hard knocks as he has and spring back lightly to our feet. As a classmate we find in him congeniality and consideration that we have never met before. Quiet and unassuming, he picks his associates from a comparative few; but those enjoy a friendship which is really worth while. None can have a better pal than Mike—cheerful, patient and considerate—a gentleman!

Mike will make a good officer for Navy.

Radio Club 2, 1; Rifle Team 2, 1; Class Baseball 2, 1; 2 P. O.

Millard Jefferson Klein

Knoxville, Tennessee

"Mike"

Curly hair, a twinkling eye, a fluent tongue, can spell but one thing. Take a glance at the picture again, for Tennessee will, not often produce such as Alike. He comes to us from the great Smokies, and many are the tales with which he entertains us about that unusual country; its customs, traditions, and "just over the next hill" stories. Talking in a slow absorbing manner, he holds us by his words; but don't listen too long, for he will have you convinced that Neptune conquered Greece.

Perseverance is a quality unusually developed in Mike. Not many of us can take as many hard knocks as he has and spring back lightly to our feet. As a classmate we find in him congeniality and consideration that we have never met before. Quiet and unassuming, he picks his associates from a comparative few; but those enjoy a friendship which is really worth while. None can have a better pal than Mike—cheerful, patient and considerate—a gentleman!

Mike will make a good officer for Navy.

Radio Club 2, 1; Rifle Team 2, 1; Class Baseball 2, 1; 2 P. O.

Loss

"Mike" was lost when USS Buck (DD 420) was torpedoed by U-616 and sank near Salerno, Italy, on October 9, 1944. He was the ship's commanding officer.

He has a memory marker in Tennessee. His wife, Jacqueline, was listed as next of kin; he was also survived by at least one child (daughter Kay Brigham).

Remembrances

His daughter, Kay, published a book about her father, "For Those Who Love, Time is Not: A World War II True Story of Unconquerable Love and Faith.".

Wartime Service

Some of Mike's exploits are recounted in Samuel Elliot Morrison's History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume IX, Sicily — Salerno — Anzio, January 1943 — June 1944.

Navy Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander Millard Jefferson Klein, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Destroyer U.S.S. BUCK (DD-420), during an attack on an enemy submarine while on convoy escort off the Island of Pantelleria in the Mediterranean Sea, on 3 August 1943. Contacting the hostile vessel which was preparing to attack the convoy, Lieutenant Commander Klein skillfully maneuvered for vigorous and aggressive action, depth charging the submarine and forcing her to the surface where the guns of the BUCK completed her destruction, resulting in the subsequent capture of prisoners. Lieutenant Commander Klein's inspiring leadership and the valiant devotion to duty of his command contributed in large measure to the outstanding success of this vital mission and reflects great credit upon the United States Naval Service.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 326 (May 1944)
Action Date: World War II
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Company: Commanding Officer
Division: U.S.S. Buck (DD-420)

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.

July 1931

Ensign, USS Roper

October 1931

ENS William Kane '33

April 1934

Ensign, USS San Francisco

Others at this command:

2LT Harold Bauer '30

July 1934

Ensign, USS San Francisco

Others at this command:

2LT Harold Bauer '30