EM1 Harvey Loyal Myers (WWII)

Remembering EM1 Harvey Loyal "Harry" Myers (Fairmont/Hammond)

February 6, 1921 - August 13, 1944

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EM1 Harvey Loyal "Harry" Myers (Service #2582850) was born February 6, 1921 in Randolph County, West Virginia, the son of Harvey and Florence (McCaulley) Myers. 

By 1930, their family lived at 221 Gordon Street in Fairmont, where Harvey was serving as a Deputy Sherriff (1930 Census), before moving to Goose Creek in the Hammond area with Harvey as a farm manager (1940 census).

Harry attended East Fairmont High School. Unfortunately, he was unphotographed in his 1940 senior yearbook, but the Orion stated that he was a member of Junior Hi-Y, Debator's Club, and Basketball during his time at EFHS. 

Military Service:

Harry entered the Navy on May 28, 1940, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Harry's service, according to Navy Muster Calls:
  • Month ending March 31, 1941: F3C Myers (Fireman Second Class) transferred on March 26 from the USNTS in Norfolk to the U.S.S. Ludlow
  • Month ending September 7, 1941: F3C Myers (Fireman Second Class), still on the U.S.S. Ludlow, was promoted to EM3C Myers (Electrician's Mate 3rd Class)
  • November 19, 1941: EM3C Myers, was still on the U.S.S. Ludlow
  • June 30, 1942: EM3C Myers, was still on the U.S.S. Ludlow
  • Month ending April 20, 1944: EM1C Myers transferred onto the U.S.S. Flier from Mare Island, CA. The muster call gives his start date for serving on the submarine the U.S.S. Flier as April 10, 1944.
Four months after he began his time on board the U.S.S. Flier, EM1 Harvey Loyal "Harry" Myers was killed in action on August 13, 1944, when it hit a mine in the Philippines. The U.S.S. Flier had been en route from Fremantle, Australia to a war patrol in the South China Sea.

Though fifteen men survived the initial explosion and sinking, only eight men on board survived the harrowing journey to shore. 78 men died, including Harry, whose remains are listed by the Defense Pow/Mia Accounting Agency as unrecoverable. Those on board the U.S.S. Flier were officially declared dead on January 19, 1946. In 2009, the wreckage of the U.S.S. Flier was found near Balabac Island in the Philippines, over 300 feet below the surface. It was verified by the U.S. Navy on February 1, 2010 as being the U.S.S. Flier.

Survivors and Legacy:

EM1 Harvey Loyal "Harry" Myers was survived by his parents and four brothers. Harry's mom, Florence, lived until 1973, surviving her husband and three sons.

Harry is honored at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, as well as with a cenotaph at Mountain State Memorial Gardens in Elkins, WV. He is also honored on the "Marion County Veterans Killed in Action" Memorial at Veterans Square in Fairmont, WV, and at the West Virginia State Veterans Memorial in Charleston, WV. 

Several memorials are also dedicated to the crew of the U.S.S. Flier. The National Submarine Memorial in California has plaques dedicated to the crews of each US Submarine sunk in WWII, complete with their names. The Veterans Administration Medical Center in White River Junction, Vermont, also has a plaque dedicated to the U.S.S. Flier.

Sources and More Information:




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