Individual Details
Freeman Wesley YATES
(2 Aug 1923 - 6 Apr 1945)
Events
| Birth | 2 Aug 1923 | Gravelly, Yell Co., Ark |  | ||
| Military | 1945 | Coxwain, USS Bush, U.S. Navy - WWII | |||
| Death | 6 Apr 1945 | missing in action - Battle of Okinawa | | ||
| Burial | Parks Cemetery, Nola, Scott Co., Ark | |
Families
| Father | John Wesley "Wes" YATES (1884 - 1925) |
| Mother | Mary 'Belle' JONES (1887 - 1955) |
| Sibling | Noble 'Cleo' YATES (1906 - 1986) |
| Sibling | Vileca YATES (1909 - 1979) |
| Sibling | Lola Mae YATES (1914 - 1938) |
| Sibling | Amy Lee YATES (1917 - 2000) |
Notes
Birth
From memorial stone.Death
From memorial stone.He joined the Navy during World War II and was a Coxswain on the USS BUSH, a Fletcher Class destroyer. During the battle of Okinawa, the BUSH was on "radar picket duty" providing naval support for the Marines who were landing on the island. The ship was struck on three separate occasions by Japanese Kamikaze fighters, causing the BUSH to sink. Freeman was seen by his shipmates going into a Bosun's Locker to get equipment to help put out fires burning on the ship when the third plane hit, destroying the area of the ship where the locker was located. Freeman's body was never recovered.