MCCLINTIC, Howard I. (1922-1941)

MCCLINTIC

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 6/11/2019 at 22:27:24

Howard Isadore McClintic
(July 4, 1922 - November 21, 1941)

Howard I. McClintic – First Warren County Boy to Die in Service in Present War [World War II]
Article from the Indianola Tribune, Indianola, Iowa, Nov 26, 1941, p.1 & 6
Was Aboard U.S.S. Altaire and Was Drowned Says Telegram
Navy Department Wires Patents Body Will be Accompanied Here By Naval Escort
Howard Isador McClintic, 19, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul McClintic, 306 South E. Street, Indianola, was the first Warren County boy to die in the service of his country in this undeclared war. A telegram received from the Navy Department by his sorrowing parents revealed only bare details of his death. It stated that he was drowned while serving aboard the U.S.S. Altaire, a ship tender assigned to duty to do repair work for four other United States vessels. A second telegram was received Saturday.
Death in Bermuda Port
Where the fatality occurred was not stated in the telegram but it is presumed that it was somewhere near the Bermuda Isles located about 800 miles east of Charleston, S. C. It is believed that he fell overboard while cruising in those seas. The last letter received by his parents was written from Bermuda. Mr. and Mrs. McClintic Tuesday received a clipping from Mrs. Sam Weeks’ son in Chicago, published in a Chicago daily, stating that Howard was drowned in Mt. Port Royal, Bermuda, but no such information had been received from the Navy Department.
Send Boyd to Charleston
The body will probably arrive at Charleston, S. C. Wednesday, Nov. 26, according to a third wire received by Mr. and Mrs. McClintic Tuesday morning. The message stated that the body was consigned to the naval hospital at Charleston. From there it will be sent to Indianola accompanied by a naval escort. The telegram said that if there were any changes in these plans the parents would be notified. The second telegram stated that a letter, presumably explaining Howard’s death, would follow. All messages were from the Bureau of Surgery and Medicine of the Navy Department. Arrangements for the funeral will not be completed until further word is received from the Navy Department.
Proud of Son’s Record
While the death of their son was a severe and unexpected blow to Mr. and Mrs. McClintic, they expressed the most patriotic sentiments in discussing the tragedy. “It is natural that we should feel sad over the death of our son” they said, “but at the same time, we are proud that he died in the service of his country. When you stop to think of the casualties in Great Britain from bombings, aboard their ships and the heavy losses the British army has sustained in North Africa, our sympathy goes out to them and we recognize that they are making an even greater sacrifice than we are. It is a consolation to us that our son was sharing in the effort, along with the British, to make a happier world.”
Sends Gifts to Mother
Last August Mrs. McClintic received a picture of a flag sent to her by Howard. It contained the following inscription: “We are all working toward life, liberty and happiness, the principles which made our historic forefathers the architects of a new future. Today we honor their courage and declarations, being even more conscious of our birthrights than ever before. In their spirit we march forward amidst the tumult of a war torn world that is seething in turmoil. To America belongs the heritage of bringing solace and order to weary men. This is the spirit of America and to this spirit we pledge ourselves.” At the bottom of the picture Howard has written: “I hope this gives you as much pleasure as it does me.”
Letter From Bermuda
Mrs. McClintic received a letter and a card from him only a short times before his death. The card was written at Bermuda. In the letter he stated that he was sending them a bedspread for their wedding anniversary which was Nov. 11. He had purchased it in Panama. He had also sent her many other gifts on his trips, including a tablecloth from Hawaii. Besides his parents, Howard is survived by an elder brother, Clayton McClintic, and four sisters, Mrs. Howard Neuman, Davenport, and Darlene, Pauline and Mildred McClintic, Indianola. He was born in Indianola July 4, 1922. He was educated in the public schools here and lacked only four months of graduating with the class of 1940.
Enlisted Last Winter
He enlisted in the Navy last December and was sent to the Great Lakes Training Station for three months. He was then assigned to the U.S.S. Altaire. He had been advanced in the service and was recently made a second class seaman, and would have been made a first class seaman the last of this month. Howard entered the Navy at the same time with Fred Woodring of Des Moines and the two became inseparable friends. The first telegram informed Mr. and Mrs. McClintic that Howard’s body could be buried in the national cemetery, or it could be interred by the Navy or sent home. Mr. McClintic wired requesting that it be returned to Indianola. [Howard I. McClintic is buried in the I.O.O.F Cemetery, Indianola, Iowa]