William Hodge Jett Full Narrative

William Hodge Jett was born on September 23, 1920, in Spokane, Washington. His parents relocated the family to Wenatchee, and Jett graduated from Wenatchee High School in 1938. He attended Washington State College (WSC) for one year, majoring in Mechanical Engineering, before moving back to Wenatchee. Back home, he found employment as a garageman at a service station until August 1942, when he enlisted for service in the US Navy. Once his initial training was complete, Jett became a part of the Navy Seabees. He was assigned to the 38th Construction Battalion, and he was with the unit when they departed for action in January 1943. The 38th helped the US successfully take back the Aleutian Islands in 1943, and after one year they returned to the US. Jett reached the rank of Carpenter's Mate Second Class as a Seabee. While documentation is unclear why Jett was transferred away from the 38th, he was sent to the Battle of Peleliu in August 1944. He was killed in action on November 4, 1944. He is interred at Ft. McKinley Cemetery in the Philippines and memorialized on the WSU Veterans Memorial.