Home > United States of America > Iowa > Cass County > Lyman > Saint Johns UCC Cemetery > PO Newton Bruce Muller

PO Newton Bruce Muller

Birth	:	21 Oct 1917 Cass County, Iowa, USA
Death	:	7 Apr 1943 Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
Burial	:	Saint Johns UCC Cemetery, Lyman, Cass County, USA
Coordinate	:	41.2160988, -94.9839020
Inscription	:	MM1, Machinist's Mate, First Class Petty Officer. The official date of death is April 8, 1944.
Description	:	From the Muller History and on line Navy ship research. Newton Bruce Muller was the first child of Ellis and Esther Muller. He was born October 21, 1917 and joined the US Navy in April 1936 after graduating from Grant High School in 1935. The Muller history states that Newton was married to Mary Louise O’Dell in California shortly before his last trip to sea. I have information she remarried, last name "Lucas" and there is a picture somewhere of her, husband and new baby. I don’t have a history of his early service but assume he... Read More	From the Muller History and on line Navy ship research. Newton Bruce Muller was the first child of Ellis and Esther Muller. He was born October 21, 1917 and joined the US Navy in April 1936 after graduating from Grant High School in 1935. The Muller history states that Newton was married to Mary Louise O’Dell in California shortly before his last trip to sea. I have information she remarried, last name "Lucas" and there is a picture somewhere of her, husband and new baby. I don’t have a history of his early service but assume he may have served on the USS Kanawha for some time. This was an old ship which was built in Mare Island Navy Yard, San Francisco, CA. Laid down on December 8, 1913 as “Fuel Ship No 13”. Launched on July 11, 1914, Commissioned on June 5, 1915 with LCDR Richard Werner in Command. On July 17, 1920 designated fleet oiler AO-1, then decommissioned on December 18, 1929 and placed into the reserve fleet. On June 5, 1934 re-commissioned. USS Kanawha received one battle star for World War II service. Newton probably, as a crew member of this oil tanker, refueled numerous ships during his career. Wartime History: Went through preliminary conversion at Philadelphia Naval Yard in October 1939. Known as “The Fat lady” by her crew. Sent to the Pacific. Sinking History: On April 7, 1943 while refueling ships in anchorage near Tulagi, Kanawha was targeted by Japanese aircraft as part of operation I-Go. The ship was attacked by D3A Val dive bombers escorted by A6M Zeros. The ship was hit by bombs dropped by Val dive bombers that caused the ship to burn. The survivors after a time, abandoned the ship which was later toed out of the area. The high tide later let her break loose and drift away. The Kanawha sank on April 8, 1943, at 0400 hours. Nineteen men were killed by the explosion and fire including MM1c Newton Bruce Muller, (MIA/KIA) from California, declared dead on April 8, 1944. The MM stands for Machinist’s Mate, and the “1” denotes that the person is a First-Class Petty Officer. The Shipwreck rests upright on a gently sloping sea floor bottom at 200’ and is accessible to SCUBA divers. More information is available on line. Memorials: The nineteen crew members that died in the bombing went down with the ship. I would speculate they were destroyed by the bombing or badly burned as there were other survivors. All were officially declared dead administratively on April 8, 1944. Why is the inscribed date of death of the missing in action frequently different than the date on which the decedent was declared missing? Without confirmed information to the contrary, a War Department Review Board established the official date of death of those missing as one year and a day from the date on which the individual was placed in missing status. (I chose to use the date on the stone). All are Memorialized on the tablets of the missing at Manila American Cemetery. Newton was awarded the Purple Heart. On April 8, 1945, Memorial Services were held at St. John's Church (the old church before it was destroyed by fire) for both Newton and Harland. His parents placed a stone as shown in this Memorial in the St. John's cemetery. See Harland's memorial for joint ceremony and newspaper article. Comments by: Bud S.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is PO Newton Bruce Muller's memorial?
PO Newton Bruce Muller's memorial is located at: Saint Johns UCC Cemetery, Lyman, Cass County, USA.
When did PO Newton Bruce Muller death?
PO Newton Bruce Muller death on 7 Apr 1943 in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
Where are the coordinates of the PO Newton Bruce Muller's memorial?
Latitude: 41.2160988
Longitude: -94.9839020

Family Members:

Parent

Ellis Muller

(1894 - 1970)

Esther Ida Schuler Muller

(1897 - 1993)

Siblings

Everett Ellis “Ev” Muller

(1919 - 2008)

Wayne Leroy Muller

(1921 - 1923)

PFC Harland M. Muller

(1924 - 1945)

Kenneth C. Muller

(1925 - 1985)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Saint Johns UCC Cemetery
Lyman, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2160988, -94.9839020

2. Weirich Cemetery
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Coordinate: 41.2146988, -94.9655991

3. Noble Center Cemetery
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4. Newlons Grove Cemetery
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Coordinate: 41.2397003, -94.9372025

5. Old East Cemetery
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Coordinate: 41.1444016, -94.9792023

6. Reno Cemetery
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Coordinate: 41.2009520, -94.8886050

7. Grant Cemetery
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Coordinate: 41.1405983, -94.9906006

8. Douglas Township Cemetery
Grant, Montgomery County, USA
Coordinate: 41.1360933, -94.9752558

9. Greenwood Cemetery
Cumberland, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2668991, -94.8921967

10. Saint Timothy Cemetery
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Coordinate: 41.1880989, -94.8619995

11. Lowman Cemetery
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Coordinate: 41.1594009, -95.0886002

12. Pleasant Township Cemetery
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Coordinate: 41.2056000, -95.1370000

13. Oakwood Cemetery
Lewis, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3133011, -95.0746994

14. Indian Burial Ground
Douglas Township, Montgomery County, USA
Coordinate: 41.0972116, -94.9752628

15. Lincoln Center Cemetery
Lincoln Center, Adams County, USA
Coordinate: 41.1161003, -94.8814011

16. Smith Cemetery
Griswold, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2606010, -95.1453018

17. Pilot Grove Center Cemetery
Elliott, Montgomery County, USA
Coordinate: 41.1190600, -95.0993700

18. Mortons Mill Cemetery
Morton Mills, Montgomery County, USA
Coordinate: 41.0793991, -95.0085983

19. Mercer Cemetery
Pottawattamie County, USA
Coordinate: 41.1753006, -95.1650009

20. Griswold Cemetery
Waveland Township, Pottawattamie County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2360992, -95.1735992

21. Hillside Cemetery
Elliott, Montgomery County, USA
Coordinate: 41.1408005, -95.1544037

22. Flint Cemetery
Pottawattamie County, USA
Coordinate: 41.2289009, -95.1841965

23. Pilot Grove Presbyterian Cemetery
Wallin, Montgomery County, USA
Coordinate: 41.0793991, -95.0699997

24. Franklin Lutheran Cemetery
Wiota, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3300018, -94.8499985