Leo DeVere Amundson
Private Leo D. “Swede” Amundson served with the Marine detachment aboard the battleship USS Arizona.
He was reported missing in action following the destruction of his ship at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 309872
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
Considered permanently non-recoverable.
Final resting place aboard the Arizona.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
June 30, 1923
at Westby, WI
Parents
Alvin Amundson
Olga (Berg) Amundson
Education
Central High School (1941)
Occupation & Employer
Enlisted after graduation
Service Life
Entered Service
July 16, 1941
at Minneapolis, MN
Home Of Record
408 Cameron Avenue
La Crosse, WI
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Alvin Amundson
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
USS Arizona (BB-39)
Campaigns Served
Pearl Harbor
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Amundson was aboard Arizona for less than 24 hours before the attack.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Private Leo D. Amundson was the newest member of the Marine detachment aboard the battleship USS Arizona. He reported for duty on 6 December 1941, and was pending assignment to specific duties. When his ship came under attack early the next morning, Amundson had no idea where to go or what to do.
PFC Lamar Crawford spotted Amundson “sitting on a bench just inside the Marines’ area.”
He was very frightened and confused. I stopped and talked with him until general quarters sounded. I told him to "sit down right there and stay until this is over." I crossed through the compartment to the starboard side, up the ladder to the boat deck, then mounted the tripod ladder for the eighty-foot exposed climb to my battle station in the secondary control booth.
Amundson was never seen alive again. At 0813 hours, a Japanese bomber scored a hit on Arizona’s forward magazine. The battleship exploded and rapidly settled to the bottom of the harbor, taking 1,177 Marines and sailors with her.
Burial Information or Disposition
Amundson’s remains were not recovered or identified after the attack. In accordance with Navy tradition, he is considered lost at sea with the Arizona as his final resting place.
Memorials
Honolulu Memorial, Courts Of The Missing
USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor
Namesake of the Marine Corps League Leo D. Amundson Detachment, La Crosse, Wisconsin
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. Alvin Amundson.
Location Of Loss
Amundson’s remains are considered to rest aboard the Arizona.
Gallery
Related Profiles
Non-recovered members of the Arizona Marine detachment, lost at Pearl Harbor.