FN1C Virgil W. Charles 10-25-1944
US NAVY WWII
US NAVY | KIA: 10/25/1944 Battle of Leyte Gulf
FN1C Virgil W. Charles USN Killed in action October 25 1944
Fireman 1st Class Virgil W. Charles, or Chilie, as he was called by friends, was killed during the invasion of the Philippines.
His ship the USS Johnston( DD-557) sank on Oct. 25, 1944, during the pivotal Battle of Leyte Gulf, widely considered the largest naval battle of World War II. The ship was part of a small U.S. task unit confronting a larger Japanese force that was threatening to cut off the supply lines for an amphibious landing led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur on the strategic island of Leyte in the Philippines. Of the ship’s 327 crew members, 186 were lost
