The information
below was sent
to the
Foundation
by Clifford
Spencer. A
special thanks
goes out to him
for his
continued
support to the
USS San
Francisco
Memorial
Foundation.
In 2001 I was
the principal
speaker for the
Memorial Service
at
Lands End.
I picked two
young officers
that were in the
battle on Nov
13, 1942. Ensign
Jean Witter and
Lt. Jg. Jack
Bennett, to
eulogize.
The attached
remarks about
Witter were
cleared and
approved at the
time by the
family of the
fine young
officer so they
will be OK with
having it
inserted under
his name.
When I last
read his
inserted info it
was bare bones
and didn't give
enough credit to
this fine young
man. I saw him a
lot before his
death when he
came to our gun
tub to talk to
Earl St. John
and Sammy
Samuelson.
|
GOOD AFTERNOON LADIES AND
GENTLEMAN.
YOU KNOW THAT THINGS ARE TOUGH
WHEN SAILORS CALL UPON A MARINE TO
SPEAK FOR THEM!!!!!
I HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE DISTINCT
PRIVILEGE TODAY TO ASSIST IN
HONORING TWO OF OUR SHIPMATES.
TWO YOUNG OFFICERS WHO SERVED
WITH US ON THE SAN FRANCISCO DURING
THAT NIGHT SURFACE ACTION THEN
CALLED THE "THIRD BATTLE OF SAVO
ISLAND", NOW CALLED THE "BATTLE OF
GUADALCANAL." THE BATTLE THAT FLEET
ADMIRAL KING SAID WAS "THE MOST
FURIOUS SEA BATTLE EVER FOUGHT"
THESE VALIANT YOUNG MEN WERE
LTJG. JOHN E. BENNETT AND ENSIGN
JEAN CARTER WITTER JR.
LAST YEAR WE HONORED
CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR WINNER,
BOATSWAIN'S MATE, REINHARDT J.
KEPPLER, AS THE FIRST HONOREE IN
WHAT WILL BE AN ANNUAL EVENT.
THE FIRST OF THESE YOUNG
OFFICERS WE HONOR HERE TODAY IS;
ENSIGN WITTER
I WOULD LIKE NOW TO HAVE THE
MEMBERS OF THE WITTER FAMILY STAND
AND BE RECOGNIZED.----- (LIST OF
INTROS)
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE IN
SUPPORT OF OUR EFFORT TO HONOR AND
RENEW MEMORIES OF THIS YOUNG MAN.
JEAN WAS MORE THAN A SHIPMATE OR
FRIEND. HE WAS AN EXCEPTIONAL HUMAN
BEING THAT IN HIS SHORT STAY WITH US
LEFT ONLY POSITIVE LESSONS ABOUT THE
CONSTANT CHALLENGES OF LIFE AND THE
COMPETITIVE SPIRIT NEEDED TO SUCCEED
AND EXCEL.
AS A MEMBER OF THE CLOSE KNIT
WITTER FAMILY, JEAN HAD MANY ROLE
MODELS IN THE PERSONS OF FATHER,
GRAND-FATHERS, UNCLES AND AUNTS THAT
WERE LEADERS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES,
AND MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY WHEN
NEEDED. HE LEARNED EARLY IN LIFE
THAT NOT ONLY WAS HE EXPECTED TO BE
COMPETITIVE BUT TO LEAD AND BRING
OUT THE BEST EFFORTS OF OTHERS. THAT
HE LEARNED HIS LESSON WELL IS
REFLECTED IN HIS HIGH SCHOOL AND
COLLEGIATE ENDEAVORS---TO FURTHER
REFLECT ON HIS OUTSTANDING QUALITIES
PIEDMONT HIGH SCHOOL'S BEAUTIFUL
FOOTBALL STADIUM IS NAMED "WITTER
FIELD" AND IN 1943 THE U.S. NAVY
NAMED A DESTROYER ESCORT IN HIS
HONOR, U.S.S. WITTER-636---JEAN WAS
LOVED AND HONORED ACROSS THE
SPECTRUM OF SOCIETY!!
JEAN WAS BORN JAN.31,1921, THE
OLDER BROTHER OF NANCY AND TWO
YOUNGER BROTHERS THOMAS AND WILLIAM,
A BAY AREA RESIDENT FOR ALL OF HIS
FORMATIVE YEARS, HE BECAME A STAR
QUARTERBACK FOR HIS HIGH SCHOOL
FOOTBALL TEAM AT PIEDMONT HIGH, JUST
ACROSS THE BAY! AND AT CAL-BERKELEY
HE WAS A RIGHT GUARD ON CAL'S FIRST
TEAM. WHILE PLAYING AGAINST
ARCH-RIVAL STANFORD, JEAN BLOCKED A
LATE KICK THAT ALLOWED CAL TO WIN A
GLORIOUS VICTORY OVER STANFORD'S
HUMILIATED INDIANS!!
HE WAS ALSO CAPTAIN OF THE BEAR
RUGBY TEAM--- HIS TEAM WON THE NORTH
AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP FOR 1942! IT
WAS SAID OF HIM THAT AND I QUOTE
"JEAN WITTER, JR. IS THE BEST RUGBY
PLAYER EVER DEVELOPED IN CALIFORNIA,
WHICH MEANS THE BEST IN THE WORLD!!"
IN ADDITION TO HIS ACADEMIC
STUDIES HE WAS A DISTINGUISHED
OFFICER CANDIDATE IN THE NAVAL ROTC.
IN MAY 1942 HE RECEIVED HIS DEGREE
AND WAS COMMISSIONED AS AN ENSIGN IN
THE U.S.NAVY.
ON MAY 14,1942 HE WAS MARRIED TO
BEATRICE CHURCH ALSO A U. C.
GRADUATE, SOON AFTER HIS COMMISSION
WAS GRANTED, AND HAD A BRIEF TEN DAY
HONEYMOON WITH HIS "BEADIE" IN
CARMEL BEFORE REPORTING ABOARD THE
SAN FRANCISCO.
MY PERSONAL CONTACT WITH HIM WAS
WHEN HE WOULD STOP BY OUR GUN MOUNT,
JUST ONE DECK UP FROM HIS DUTY
STATION, AND CHAT WITH ALLEN (SAMMY)
SAMUELSON AND EARL ST. JOHN ABOUT
THEIR COLLEGE DAYS, AND FOOTBALL,
FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL!! HE WAS A VERY
FRIENDLY AND UNASSUMING YOUNG
OFFICER THAT YOU LIKED IMMEDIATELY
WHEN YOU FIRST MET HIM!
HE EXPERIENCED ACTION DURING THE
GUADALCANAL INVASION, SEVERAL MONTHS
OF BOMBARDMENT SUPPORT, SUBMARINE
ATTACKS, INCLUDING THE DISASTROUS
SINKING OF THE CARRIER "WASP" ON
SEPT. 15, 1942, THE VICTORIOUS NIGHT
SURFACE BATTLE OF CAPE ESPERANCE AND
THE FIERCE AIR TO SHIP BATTLE
AGAINST TORPEDO PLANES AND ZEROS ON
NOV. 12TH. FROM ALL REPORTS HE WAS
COOL UNDER FIRE AND HIS CONDUCT WAS
EXEMPLARY!
THAT FATEFUL NIGHT BEGAN AS MANY
OTHERS WE HAD EXPERIENCED IN THOSE
PERILOUS WATERS. THE SEAS WERE CALM
WITH ONLY A SMALL RAIN SQUALL OR TWO
DRIFTING ACROSS THE BAY. FROM THE
LAND CAME A HEAVY SMELL OF GARDENIAS
AND NOW AND THEN A FAINT WHIFF OF
SMOKE, TO REMIND US OF THE EMBATTLED
MARINES WE WERE THERE TO PROTECT. WE
WERE PROCEEDING ON A WEST-NORTHWEST
COURSE JUST OFF THE NORTH SHORE OF
GUADALCANAL.EVERYONE KNEW THAT WE
WERE GOING TO MEET A JAPANESE TASK
FORCE VASTLY SUPERIOR IN FIRE POWER
TO US BUT WE HAD BEEN ORDERED TO
STOP THE "TOKYO EXPRESS" AND WE WERE
GOING TO DO OUR BEST.
THE TASK GROUP HAD BEEN AT
GENERAL QUARTERS SINCE EARLY EVENING
AND JEAN, AS ASSISTANT NAVIGATION
OFFICER WAS AT HIS BATTLE STATION IN
THE CHART HOUSE, WHEN THE OPENING
SALVOS SHATTERED THE QUIET NIGHT.
THE SAN FRANCISCO'S 8 INCH GUNS WERE
POURING BROADSIDE AFTER BROADSIDE
INTO A KONGO CLASS BATTLESHIP HIEI---
THE JAPANESE LIGHT CRUISER NAGARA
ALONG WITH THE BATTLESHIPS HIEI, AND
KIRISHIMA RETURNED A DEADLY HAIL OF
SIX AND FOURTEEN INCH SHELLS.
THEY RAKED THE 'FRISCO' FROM THE
QUARTER DECK TO THE BRIDGE AND IT
WAS AT THIS TIME THAT THE CHART
HOUSE WAS HIT BY A SIX INCH SHELL
KILLING ENSIGN WITTER, ALONG WITH
ALL OTHERS IN THE CHART HOUSE. THE
SAME SERIES OF HITS STRUCK THE
BRIDGE KILLING ALMOST EVERYONE
INCLUDING ADMIRAL CALLAGHAN AND
MORTALLY WOUNDING CAPTAIN CASSIN
YOUNG. THE COST IN LIVES WAS VERY
HIGH ANYWHERE NEAR THE BRIDGE AND
FORWARD SUPER- STRUCTURE THAT NIGHT.
SEVEN MARINES ALSO DIED JUST ABOVE
THE BRIDGE, AND INCLUDED IN THE DEAD
WERE JEAN'S FRIENDS SAMMY SAMUELSON
AND EARL ST. JOHN...
ENSIGN WITTER WAS ONE OF MANY
PATRIOTIC YOUNG MEN THAT GAVE THEIR
LIVES THAT NIGHT, NEAR A FARAWAY
SCRAP OF LAND THAT FEW HAD EVER EVEN
HEARD OF. HE GAVE HIS FINAL FULL
MEASURE OF LOVE FOR HIS COUNTRY, SO
THAT THE WORLD COULD REMAIN FREE!!
(PLEASE STAND AND OBSERVE WITH
ME, A MOMENT OF SILENT PRAYER, AND
GIVE THANKS FOR SUCH MEN!)
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