Always Remember Those Who Gave All: MC WW2 Gold Stars and MIA Survivors

Fleming Park Griffith (1921-1944)

MC Class: ex-1943

Years at MC: 1939-1942 (Freshman through Junior)

Hometown: Ravenna, KY

Life at MC: Political Science major; Lived in Carnegie Hall, Alpha Sigma, Student Council (Freshman), Men's Glee Singers (Freshman), Appalachian Club President (Sophomore), Spanish Club Treasurer (Junior), Wrestling Team (Junior)

Military Branch: US Marines

Military Unit: Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 151 (VMTB-151)

Rank: 1st Lieutenant (Pilot)

Medals Awarded: Purple Heart

Date Missing: 12 January 1944

Date of Death: 12 January 1944

Location of Death: Somewhere in the Southwest Pacific Ocean

Circumstances of Death: "1st Lt Fleming was a pilot in Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 151 (VMTB-151). He was killed on 12 January 1944 while on a routine dive bombing flight. He was piloting an SBD-5 plane which failed to pull out of a dive, crashed into the sea, exploded, and sank. No trace of Lt Griffith or the radioman-gunner, PFC Guy Clapper, Jr., was found. (Source: IDPF/OMPF from the National Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, MO.)" (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8339751/fleming-park-griffith)

Burial/Memorial Information: Memorials: Berea Cemetery, Berea, Madison County, Kentucky (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8339751/fleming-park-griffith) and Courts of the Missing, Court 2, Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii (https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/griffith%3Dfleming)

Additional Images:

February 15, 1944 Letter from Fleming B. Griffith (father of Fleming Park Griffith) to Maryville College

February 25, 1944 Condolence Letter from Dr. Ralph Waldo Lloyd to Fleming B. Griffith

March 12, 1944 Letter from Fleming B. Griffith to Maryville College