REMEMBERING
WILLIAM LEE STAPLETON

Number Three is a series in remembrance of our World War II dead

By Joe C. Fling

This Wednesday, October 16, marks the 60th anniversary of the death of William Lee Stapleton. Stapleton was, at the time of his death, and is still, in the hearts of many local people, acknowledged as Eagle Lake's first casualty of World War II. This confusion stems from the secrecy that shrouded the loss of the carrier Wasp for about six weeks. During this time, the death of Billy Cook (number 2 in our series) was still unreported, so that when news of the death of William Lee Stapleton on October 15, 1942 was received, the Eagle Lake Headlight reported his loss as "Eagle Lake's First Casualty".

Billy Stapleton was born August 29, 1922 in Eagle Lake, the only child of Ben Lee and Eunice Hoover Stapleton. He enlisted in the Navy as a volunteer before the war broke, leaving Eagle Lake on July 16, 1941 at the age of eighteen. Billy took basic training with six other Eagle Lake boys at San Diego, and was stationed aboard the U.S.S. McFarland, which left the port of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in November 1941 for duty in the Pacific. Stapleton held the rank of Seaman First Class.

On this trip, Billy wrote to his parents, describing his voyage into the southwest Pacific, including a stop at Palmyra, in the Line Islands. Billy told of climbing trees for coconuts, fishing and swimming in the pre-war paradise. Being November he yearned to be deer hunting again. He had been a member of the Baptist Church and had been active in Sunday School. He was well liked by all who knew him.

For two weeks after Pearl Harbor was bombed, the Stapleton family waited anxiously for word of their son's well-being and got happy news just before Christmas, 1941. Stapleton's family received word from him that he was "safe, well and happy, don't worry" after the surprise Japanese attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet that launched America into the war.

During 1942 many Eagle Lake men were involved in the fighting in and around Coral Sea, Guadalcanal and New Guinea. The McFarland took part in much of that action. Stapleton's family received regular correspondence from him through that summer. However, they received no word from their son during the anxious weeks following the American invasion of Guadalcanal. When news finally came to the anxious family, it was bad. Stapleton had been killed in action, on October 16, 1942. The Headlight, unaware of Billy Cook's earlier death, headlined its report: "William Lee Stapleton, Eagle Lake's First Casualty."

Of course at the beginning the place and circumstances of his death were unknown. He had been killed in the fierce fighting in the seas around Guadalcanal. After Wasp was sunk, the United States had only one operational aircraft carrier in the Pacific, Hornet, from which Jimmy Doolittle had bombed Toyko only six months before. The Japanese undertook daily air searches to find and sink Hornet.

On October 16, 1942 the McFarland sailed to Lunga Roads, the supply docks for the marines on Guadalcanal, towing a barge which carried 40,000 gallons of gasoline and some ammunition. At about six in the evening, as she was unloading the supplies and taking on some wounded marines for evacuation, Japanese dive bombers, returning from a fruitless search for Hornet attacked. McFarland cut loose the barge and got under way, putting up what feeble anti-aircraft fire the old seaplane tender could. Her gunners downed one Japanese Aichi Val bomber, but it was enough. One enemy bomb hit the barge, incinerating in a fireball of burning gasoline. Another bomb hit McFarland setting off depth charges on her decks, severing the stern of the ship. Twenty-seven crewmen died and as many more were wounded. Seaman first class Stapleton was among the dead.

McFarland safely reached the American base on Tulagi around midnight. The dead were buried on this island with full military honors until they could be returned home to their final resting places.

Six long years passed before that could happen. Stapleton's body was returned aboard the U.S.S. Cardinal O'Connell along with more than 2800 other war dead. The newly formed VFW chapter in Eagle Lake was named in Stapleton's honor. He was finally laid to rest at Lakeside on March 7, 1948, where he lies today between his parents. Pallbearers were four buddies who went with Stapleton through bootcamp: Franklin Reese, Frank Mazac, Raymond Kohleffel and Fred R. Frnka plus Charlie Braden, Dale Cassady and Claude Brewer. His tombstone recites that he held rank of Gunnery Mate 3rd Class.

Understandably, Eagle Lake was shaken by the blows of the deaths of Cook and Stapleton so close together, so far away from home. Reportedly, the family had kept Billy's room intact, and he had put away all of his trinkets, including his favorite fishing rod before he left. The tenderness of such reports, contrasted with the harsh reality of death in battle highlighted for many the preciousness of our liberty, and the dear cost that our country would pay to keep it.