Civil War ☆ WWI ☆ WWII ☆ Korea ☆ Vietnam ☆ Iraq I ☆ Iraq II ☆ Afghanistan
| Name | Narrative | Branch and Rank | Unit and Specialty | Conflict/Arena | Born/Died |
| Alfred H. Atkinson | Alfred “Al” Halliburton Atkinson was born on December 12, 1924 to Joseph Mickle Atkinson & Minnie Grof Halliburton in Camden, where he was raised and educated. Al entered the US Navy in 1942 at 17 by having his mother sign for him and served in WWII aboard the USS Bell (DD-587), a Fletcher-class destroyer in the Atlantic and Pacific. Until November 1943, USS Bell operated on patrol and escort in the North Atlantic, making one voyage to Britain in August. She got underway for the Pacific in November and arrived at Pearl Harbor late November 1943. Bell then joined Task Force 58 for strikes on Kavieng, New Ireland, in late December 1943 for the invasion of Kwajalein, Marshall Islands; Truk strike; Marianas raid; Carolines strike; Hollandia landings; Saipan invasion; 1st Bonins raid; Battle of the Philippine Sea; 2nd Bonins raid; 3rd Bonins raid; Guam invasion; Western Carolines raids; 4th Bonins raid; Palau raids; Philippine Islands raids; Okinawa raid; and with Task Force 38 in the Formosa raids. Bell formed part of the escort of Houston and Canberra from off Formosa to Ulithi. She then rejoined the 3rd Fleet for strikes against Luzon and the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, Luzon. In January 1945, she joined O'Bannon and Ulvert M. Moore in sinking the Japanese submarine Ro-115. Bell returned to to Puget Sound Navy Yard for repairs. She departed the west coast in April for Leyte. From there she steamed to the Brunei Bay and Balikpapan, Borneo landings. Bell patrolled and escorted convoys in the Philippines until the end of the war and then served on occupation duty at Okinawa, China, and Korea until December 1945 when she left for San Francisco, arriving in January 1946. Al Atkinson received a commendation for rescuing sailors from their ship that had been set ablaze by enemy gunfire. He attained the rank of Signalman 3rd Class (SM3) by the time of his honorable discharge. He married Marjorie Marshall and went off to Sea Girt NJ to train for the NJ State Police. His badge number was 927, making him one of the earliest troopers in NJ. They raised three children on Colgate Avenue in "the Gardens" in Delanco in 1947, a new development at the time. It was was his home until his passing. Al served as a N.J. State Trooper and Station Commander of the Bordentown Barracks. He retired at the rank of Sergeant 1st Class after 25 1/2 years. Al was a devoted Christian, a member of Willow Brook Country Club, an avid golfer and bowler. He was a member of the Beverly-Riverside Masonic Lodge # 107 F.& A.M. Al loved to read books and had a wealth of knowledge. He also was an avid Phillies & Eagles fan. Marjorie passed away at 52 from cancer. He then married Margaret Joan (Peggy) Johnson a few years later. She survived him and passed away in 2022. Al passed away on June 12, 2012 at age 87 and was buried with full naval honors in Monument Cemetery in Beverly. | US Navy SM 3 | USS Bell (DD-587) Signalman | WWII North Atlantic South Pacific | 1924 - 2012 |
Updated October 30, 2023