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746. Pensacola's November Loss 11-25-1944 WWII

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Updated: Feb 28, 2022

US Navy Aviation Chief Machinist's Mate Reginal Elmo Wallace was born in Pearl River County, Mississippi in 1907, the son of Robert Valentine Wallace (1873-1942) and Susan Elizabeth "Lizzie" Wallace (1885-1928). His parents were married in 1899 when Robert was 28 and Lizzie was 14-years old. His father was a native of Choctaw County, Alabama but would make his home with Lizzie in Pearl River, Mississippi. He supported his family as a farmer his whole life. Reginal would be the third of eleven surviving children born to this union.


His son Reginal chose a different life than being a farmer like his father. He chose the US Navy and enlisted on November 24, 1942. His death article indicates that he enlisted sometime around 1924 and had been in the Navy for about twenty years. Given that he was a chief by 1943, this statement is most likely true. Yet, his muster rolls list his enlistment date as 1942. One possible answer is that he reenlisted or reentered the military at that time after the war began. Very likely he was stationed in Pensacola in 1938 or before where he met Miss Carlyse Elizabeth Dansby (1915-1992). She was the daughter of George Meriwether Dansby (1884-1950), a Pensacola News Journal printer for 41 years, and Mignon Herman (1889-1956). She was also the granddaughter of Jacob Valentine Dansby (1829-1900) and Susan Haywood Dansby (1842-1889).


Regardless of his enlistment date, Reginal was transferred to the fleet carrier USS Intrepid (CV-11) as an Aviation Chief Machinist's Mate on August 16, 1943. This was same day that the Intrepid was commissioned into service. She would join the Pacific's Task Force #58 in combat during the Marshall Island campaign. On October 20th, she joined the Battle of Leyte, as American soldiers stormed ashore at Leyte. Then on October 23rd, the Japanese attacked the American fleet trying to disrupt the landing with the Battle of Leyte Gulf ensuing. A secondary battle then began as planes from the Intrepid attacked the mighty battleships Yamato and Musashi as well as their supporting fleet in the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea. As the Japanese withdrew, they enticed the American fleet to attack them in the north so that another force could slip in behind them and attack and destroy the Leyte invasion force.


In the meantime, as the Intrepid and the other carriers struck the northern enemy fleet, they were able to sink four Japanese carriers in the Battle of Cape Engano. But while they were thus engaged another Japanese force unsuspectingly struck the fleet supporting the invasion in what became known as the Battle of Samar. Sadly, there was nothing to stop them but a handful of destroyers and three escort carriers who courageously stood their ground against overwhelming odds and died for their efforts. While the Americans licked their wounds, the Intrepid and task force TF-38 returned from their northern incursion on October 27th. Two days later they were hit by a kamikaze losing ten men killed but with limited damage to the ship.


On November 25th, two kamikazes broke through the air cover and crashed into the Intrepid, killing sixty-six men and setting the ship on fire. However, the fires were extinguished within two hours as they set about collecting the bodies of those that perished. One of those was Chief Reginal Elmo Wallace who was seriously injured and succumbed to those injuries. The dead sailors were wrapped in canvas and with great honor buried at sea by their comrades.












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