Fallen Crew Members of

USS KIDD (DD-661)

CHARLES NEWTON ALLWHITE

Born on October 26, 1925, in Newark, Arkansas, Charles Newton Allwhite was the son of Newton and Eva M. (Adair) Allwhite.  He was one of four children:  Anne Lou (Allwhite Smith), Betty Jo (Allwhite Hoobler), and brother Virgil.

Charles attended Newark High School until the 11^th grade, leaving to join the Navy on October 27, 1942, just one day after turning age 17.  He attended boot camp in West Virginia before boarding the USS KIDD (DD-661) at the Naval Receiving Station in Norfolk, Virginia, on August 10, 1943.  While aboard the KIDD, Charles changed rates from Seaman 2^nd class to Seaman 1^st class on October 01, 1943.  A little over one year later, he changed rates again moving from Seaman 1^st class to Fireman 1^st class on November 01, 1944.  Up to this point in time, he had served in every engagement in which the ship had been involved in the Pacific.  Okinawa would be his last.

When the kamikaze struck the KIDD on April 11, 1945, and pierced the hull, Charles—a Fireman 1^st class—was killed at his post in the forward fireroom.  There is a discrepancy in the official records as to what occurred next.  According to the ship's logs, Charles was initially listed as Missing In Action until his body was later discovered in the fireroom's wreckage during recovery operations there.  The logs then show that he was taken ashore to be buried on Ulithi Atoll on April 17, 1945.  Other records indicate that he was buried at sea along with his shipmates as the KIDD was en route back to Ulithi from the front lines and that the sea gave up his body at Guam where he was interred until the end of the war.

Discrepancies like this in paperwork happen quite often during wartime what with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen to keep track of on the ever-changing front lines.  More often than not, the command structure back home is less likely to know the whereabouts of an individual than are the men in his unit (as shown in the movie Saving Private Ryan).  The more likely of the two scenarios here is the one shown in the ship's logs—Charles was found at his post and interred at Ulithi Atoll.  What is known for certain is that after the war, Charles Allwhite was returned home aboard the U.S. Army transport WALTER W. SCHWENK and records do show that the SCHWENK visited both Ulithi and Guam after the war during her mission of returning lost servicemen home to their families.  The use of dog tags by the Graves Registration Service insures that servicemen buried overseas during combat could later be identified when returned home.

Charles was laid to rest at Blue Springs Cemetery in his hometown of Newark, Arkansas.  He was one of two KIDD crew members lost on April 11, 1945, who would eventually return home for burial, the second being Jack Lee Walsh.

The above photograph and some of the biographical information shown here were furnished to our researcher, Richard E. Ammon, Jr., by Charles' cousin Albert Ray Allwhite and by Charles' sister Betty Jo Hoobler.

If anyone has additional information on, stories regarding, or photos of Charles Newton Allwhite that they would like to contribute, please contact us at Info@usskidd.com.

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