Purple Heart Walk – Haley Skinner – Nemaha County Historical Society

Early Life and Love of Aviation

Haley William Skinner was born on February 28, 1918, at Delphos, Kansas, the son of Lewis E. and Nora Elsie Skinner. In 1933, the Skinner family moved to Sabetha, Nemaha County, where Haley grew up and graduated from Sabetha High School in 1936. From an early age, he developed a fascination with aviation. By the summer of 1940, he had earned his civilian pilot’s license at the National School of Aeronautics in Emporia, Kansas. He joined a Hiawatha flying club, where he and friends often flew small trainer aircraft, sometimes landing in fields around Sabetha to the delight of local residents.

Haley pursued higher education, attending Kansas State College for a year and a half and Emporia Teachers College for two years. Although he enjoyed academics and played saxophone at dances, his true passion remained flying, and he soon looked toward military aviation.

Entering the Army Air Corps

In 1941, Skinner enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and began flight training at Stamford, Texas, later moving to Randolph Field near San Antonio. His dedication was evident not only in his flying skills but also in his leadership—he served as editor-in-chief of The Plane Wrangler, a cadet yearbook at Stamford.

Training was rigorous and demanding. Of the 47 cadets in his primary class, only 19 graduated, and Haley was among them. At Randolph, he logged hours in North American Basic Training planes before transferring to advanced training at Selma, Alabama. There, in August 1941, he earned his pilot’s wings and commission as a Second Lieutenant.

Assignment and Deployment

After commissioning, Skinner was assigned to the 57th Pursuit Squadron at Windsor Locks, Connecticut. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, he was quickly transferred to the West Coast. In January 1942, he telephoned his parents from Los Angeles to say he was shipping out by sea the next day. His journey took him across the Pacific, arriving in Melbourne, Australia, on February 2, 1942.

Skinner and his fellow pursuit pilots were soon ordered to reinforce Allied defenses on Java, where Japanese forces were advancing rapidly. Half of the pilots flew their P-40 fighters to the island, while the other half—including Skinner—were transported aboard the USS Langley, the Navy’s first aircraft carrier, by then converted to a seaplane tender.

Tragedy in the Java Sea

On February 27, 1942, just 70 miles from Java, Japanese bombers attacked the Langley. The damaged vessel had to be abandoned, and her crew and Army passengers were rescued by the destroyers USS Edsall and USS Whipple. Later, many were transferred to the tanker USS Pecos.

The following day, Japanese planes struck again, sinking the Pecos with heavy loss of life. Survivors were picked up by Whipple, but the Edsall—still carrying several Army airmen, including Haley Skinner—was attacked and sunk. The destroyer’s fate was not immediately known, and for months families held out hope that some men might have escaped to Java or been captured alive.

Missing and Presumed Dead

On April 4, 1942, the Skinner family received the dreaded telegram: their son was missing in action following the sinking of the Langley. Sabetha was stunned, and the community gathered for a memorial service at the Congregational Church later that month, attended by the Masons, American Legion, Boy Scouts, and many friends.

For nearly four years, Haley’s status remained “missing.” His parents received periodic updates, but no confirmation. Finally, on December 18, 1945, the War Department issued a presumptive finding of death. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for his sacrifice.

Legacy

Haley Skinner was remembered not only as Sabetha’s first World War II casualty but also as a symbol of youthful courage, dedication, and sacrifice. Friends recalled him as serious-minded, adventurous, and always striving for purpose. His niece later described him as curious, talented, and multi-skilled, someone who excelled both academically and musically.

His name is inscribed among the honored dead at the Eisenhower Memorial in Abilene, Kansas, and on cenotaphs including Find a Grave Memorials #154945475 and #56763445. Though lost in the chaos of war, his story continues to inspire generations in Nemaha County and beyond—a reminder of the cost of freedom and the bravery of those who defend it.

SOURCES

Haley W. Skinner

Find a Grave Memorial 154945475 created by Larry Gilbert

Haley W. Skinner Service # 0-428537 Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Forces 13th Pursuit Squadron, 53rd Pursuit Group Entered the Service from: Kansas Awards: Purple Heart NARA War Department records list this soldiers Home of Record as Nemaha County, Kansas…Finding Of Death…Perished in the sinking of USS EDSALL (DD-219) in Indian Ocean, southwest of Java…See additional cenotaph at Find A Grave Memorial# 56763445.

Inscription

1st LT 57 PURSUIT GP AA F

LOST IN THE PACIFIC AREA

WORLD WAR II PH

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Is Licensed Pilot

Haley Skinner, who has been a student in the flying course of the national school in Emporia, has his license as a pilot and is ready to fly if he can get hold of a plane. He has his required hours in th air as solo flier. Haley is at home with his parents for the summer vacation. If anyone has an airplane not in use he might offer it to Haley Skinner.

Courier Tribune (Seneca, KS) 11 Jul 1940, page 5

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Fly To Emporia For Visit

Haley Skinner and Jack Sheldon returned to Sabetha March 8 after a few days visit in Emporia. The two drove to St. Joseph from where they flew a plane to Emporia. They came back via Sabetha, landing the plane in a wheat field at the southeast edge of town. Skinner flew on to St. Joseph on Sunday. The ship, a cub trainer, belongs to a Hiawatha flying club of which Skinner and Curtis Bockenstette are both members ,

Courier Tribune (Seneca, KS) 17 March 1941, page 5

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Haley Skinner Leaves Const.

Mr. and Mrs. Lou Skinner received a telephone message from their son Lieut Haley Skinner Sunday evening. Lieut. Skinner was in Lost Angeles, Calif. when he called. He told his mother he was leaving the west coast by boat and would leave on the following day which was Monday. Lieut. Skinner is a pursuit plane pilot.

Courier Tribune (Seneca, KS) 22 Jan 1942, page 7

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Sabetha Flier Is Missing

Lieut. Haley Skinner Was on Langley

Sabetha Herald

The War Department has notified Mr and Mrs. L. E. Skinner of Sabetha that their son, Haley Skinner, a lieutenant in the U. S. Army Air Corps, is missing. He was among those on the U. S. S. Langley when she was sunk south of Java on February 27 Announcement of the sinking was made in daily papers Saturday morning, the same day the Skinners were notified. Casualties in the sinking of the Langley, which went down as a result of bombing attack, were small, according to newspaper accounts. Survivors were transferred almost immediately to tanker Pecos. However, the next day the Pecos was bombed and sunk with an estimated loss of about two-thirds of the Langley survivors and the crew of the Pecos. The telegram received by the Skinners did not indicate whether or not Haley had been transferred to the Pecos, but simply stated he was missing from the Langley

The telegram received by Skinners arrived Saturday after-noon shortly after four o’clock and read as follows:

“Deeply regret to inform you that your son, Lieut. Haley William Skinner, United States Army, has been reported missing while in the service of his country aboard the U.S.S. Langley at sea. Further reports will be forwarded as received. The Adjutant General

All of Sabetha has been greatly concerned over the report. Haley is a particularly well liked boy by both older persons and those his own age. He has always been interested in aviation, and got started through a flying club at Hiawatha several years ago. Last summer he went through the rigorous air corps training course at Randolph Field, Texas. He was transferred to Selma, Ala., for final advanced training in pursuit ship work, upon –completion of which he was awarded his commission.

Courier Tribune (Seneca, KS) 9 April 1942, page 1

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Image of Lt. Skinner

Sabetha Missing

Haley Skinner

Lieut. Haley Skinner, army air. corps, son of Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Skinner, Sabetha, is reported missing from the Langley, sunk in the battle of Java. This photo was taken at the time Lieut. Skinner graduated from Randolph Field, Texas.

Courier Tribune (Seneca, KS) 13 April 1942, page 6

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Sabetha

No Word Of Haley Skinner

There has been no further word of Haley Skinner, son of Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Skinner of Sabetha, reported missing as an army air corps flier on board the USS. Langley, sunk south of Java. However, friends of the Skinners and of Haley, who was a lieutenant, are heartened by. such news stories as one that appeared recently of Walter Mitchell, who went down with both the Langley and the tanker Pecos, which picked up Langley survivors. Mitchell phoned his mother after the war de partment reported him missing from the Langley. The story did not tell how he phoned his mother nor how he was rescued.

Courier Tribune (Seneca, KS) 16 April 1942, page 7

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Memorial Service Sunday for Lt. Haley Skinner

A memorial service for Lieut. Haley Skinner, Sabetha, will be held Sunday afternoon at 2:30 at the Congregational church, con-ducted by Rev. E. L. Baker. Lt. Skinner, a flier in the U. S. Army Air Corps, was reported missing following the sinking of the aircraft tender, U. S S. Langley, Feb. 27. Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Skinner were notified. April4. It is assumed Lt. Skinner was aboard the Langley to be transferred to a land air base somewhere in the vicinity of Java.

Courier Tribune (Seneca, KS) 23 April 1942, page 1

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Sabetha

Haley Skinner Memorial Service.

The Congregational Church was filled to capacity Sunday afternoon with friends and relatives who gathered to pay tribute to Haley Skinner, reported missing from the U. S. S. Langley disaster at sea. The church chancel was beautifully decorated with vases and baskets of flowers and potted plants.

The Masonic order, of which Haley is a member, the Eastern Star chapter, Boy Scouts, American Legion, Kansas State Guard and American Legion Auxiliary members attended the service in a body.

The church choir and Miss Marian Spencer, organist, added to the beauty of the service with music appropriate to the occasion.

The service was conducted by: the Rev. E. L. Baker.

Courier Tribune (Seneca, KS) 4 May 1942, page 2

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Sabetha

Langley Survivor Is Safe.

Friends of Haley Skinner, who was reported lost when the U. S. S. Langley and the tanker Pecos were lost near Java two months ago, are interested in the communication received Monday morning by M. L. Shetter, Hiawatha mechanic, that his son, a sailor on the Langley, who was reported missing and for whom memorial services were held at Hiawatha, is now safe and stationed in Australia. The sailor’s commander wrote that the boy, Warren G. Shetter, would communicate with his parents at his first opportunity, and that communications with forces in the southwest Pacific are strained and difficult.

Courier Tribune (Seneca, KS) 7 May 1942, page 7

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War Department Continues Haley Skinner As Missing

The United States War Department reported 2nd Lt. Haley Skinner, Army Air Force fighter pilot and son of Mr. and Mrs. Lew Skinner of Sabetha, as missing in sea action on February 27, 1942. “In the course of the past year the Skinners have received several communications from the War Department regarding their son’s status. Among these was a statement that final disposal of the case would not be made until one year following the original date, of the action.

This date has passed, and Tues-day morning the Skinners received another communication from the department. It stated that since there is “no evidence warranting contrary action” that Lt. Skinner is being officially continued in the “missing” status. The letter says the case has been carefully reviewed, and that every effort has been made through the American Red Cross and the Japanese government to obtain information in such cases, but that “so far few reports have been received.”

The communication says that so long as the missing status is continued, pay, allowances and allotments also remain in effect.

Courier Tribune (Seneca, KS) 25 March 1943, page 8

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Men In The Service

Haley Skinner Presumed Dead.

Mr and Mrs Lew Skinner of Sabetha have received a communication from the Adjutant General’s Office, War Department, that the case of their son, First Lieutenant William Haley Skinner, has been reviewed and a presumptive finding of death has been made as of De- cember 18, 1945 This means that for purposes of records, pay, insurance, and other official matters it is presumed that Lt. Skinner died on December 18, 1945 He was list- ed as missing on February 27, 1942.

The circumstances surrounding the absence of Lt Skinner and a group of army and navy personnel reported missing at the same time is intricate and, in many respects. unsatisfactorily incomplete. Haley became an army P-40 fighter pilot who, with his air group, was sent to Australia at the very first of the war, at the time the Japanese were making rapid conquest southward in the Pacific. This army fighter group volunteered to go to Tjilitjap, in southern Java. Half of the pilots were to fly to Java in their own fighter planes, the other half were to go aboard the aircraft tender, (formerly carrier) Langley. All of the ground crew personnel, along with equipment and P-40 fighter planes and half the pilots were aboard the Langley. The pilots flipped coins to determine which should fly, which should go on the Langley. Haley Skinner happened to be in the group that went on the Langley. The ship was unescorted but two destroyers, the Whipple and the Edsall, answered an S O. S. from the Langley when, 70 miles from her destination the Langley was attacked by air and had to be abandoned. All personnel were at first taken aboard the Edsall, but later the navy personnel were transferred to the Pecos, a navy tanker. The army ground erewomen and pilots remained on the Edsall. The next day the Pecos was sunk. Her S O.S was answered by the Whipple, but not by the Edsall. The Edsall was never again heard from directly and definitely, but Lew Skinner has received some information that appears to indicate it is possible the Edsall might have put in at Tjilitjap. There is a discrepancy in dates and verification is not certain.

The Japanese were moving southward rapidly, and Tjilitjap was overrun at this time. and the port ordered evacuated by all allied personnel. It was not possible to evacuate all, and many were known to have taken to the hills and the interior, later joining or forming guerilla bands as was done in the Philippines. It is believed possible the Edsall might have put in to Tjilitjap, disembarked its army personnel and put out to sea before being lost. There is the further chance that such men, because of scant communications and the dense interior, might have fled the coast and still be alive without connection with the outside world. These circumstances have caused the extended period of delay during which Lt. Skinner and the others in his group have been continued on the War Department’s records as missing.

O D. H Bentley of Dover, Mass, is the father of one of the army fliers in the group with Haley Skinner. Bentley has kept in constant communication with next of kin of many of those listed as missing from the Langley and the Edsall, including the Lew Skinners of Sabetha. Mr Skinner last week received letter number 380 from Mr. Bentley concerning the situation. He has made exhaustive investigation of the circumstances, and Mr. Skinner believes he may know as much or more about the situation as the War Department. In this most recent letter, dated December 26, Mr Bentley says “The War Department no doubt was advised to make a finding in regard to all the boys who have been carried in the missing status. It does not mean anything definite, one way or the other, excepting a technical settlement or adjustment of their accrued accounts, etc. I am not giving up yet.”

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The Sabetha Herald (Sabetha, KS) 2 Jan 1946, page 1

Lt. Haley Skinner ~ Feb. 28, 1918 – Feb. 27, 1942

The Sabetha Herald, May 31, 2006, page 1B

https://marycotton.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=%22haley%20skinner%22&i=f&d=01011860-12312020&m=between&ord=k1&fn=sabetha_herald_usa_kansas_sabetha_20060531_english_11&df=1&dt=5

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Sabetha Herald

13 April 1949

Men In The Service

Langley Survivor Is Safe

Friends of Haley Skinner, who was reported lost when the U.S.S. Langley and the tanker Pecos were lost near Java two months ago, are interested in the communication received Monday morning by M. L. Shetter, Hiawatha mechanic, that his son, a sailor on the Langley, who was reported missing and for whom memorial services were held at Hiawatha, is now safe and stationed in Australia.

The sailor’s commander wrote that the boy, Warren G. Shetter, would communicate with his parents at his first opportunity, and that communications with forces in the southwest Pacific are strained and difficult.

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Sabetha Herald

6 May 1942

Men In The Service

Langley Survivor Is Safe

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Sabetha Herald

18 March 1942

Lt. Haley Skinner In Australia

Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Skinner received a letter last week from their son, Haley, in which he told of his trip across the water and his pleasure at being located with a number of the men who were in his class at the flying field. Tom Montgomery, formerly of Hiawatha and a college friend of Haley, is also located there.

A few days after receiving Haley’s letter, Mr. and Mrs. Skinner received notice from the government that their son landed at Melbourne, Australia, February 2. Haley is not permitted to reveal his location. His letter had been censored but nothing deleted. He is a lieutenant in the Air Corps and is flying pursuit ships.

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Sabetha Herald

19 Nov 1941

Skinner Gets Army Wings

Haley Skinner, son of Mr. and L. E. Skinner of Sabetha, received his wings and a commission as a lieutenant in the Army Air Corps recently at Selma, Ala. He is now with the 57th Pursuit Squadron at Windsor Locks, Conn. This picture appears in The Herald through the courtesy of the St. Joseph News-Press.

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Sabetha Herald

20 Aug 1941

To Take Advance Air Training

Haley Skinner, son of Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Skinner of Sabetha, spent the weekend in Sabetha on a short leave before transferring to Selma, Miss., to take advance flying training in the Army Air Corps. Skinner began at Stamford, Texas, where he took his primary and basic work.

From there he went to Randolph Field near San Antonio where he has been up to the present time studying secondary training. After ten weeks at Selma, Haley will be graduated and receive his commission in the Air Corps as a second lieutenant. He says that he probably will be stationed with a tactical unit (an air squadron) after completion of his training.

Skinner is one of 24 men who are being sent to Selma for pursuit ship training rather than going to Kelly Field where flyers usually get their advanced instruction.

After graduation the men usually get two weeks leave before going on active duty, but he believes that the national emergency will eliminate this. Haley likes his training very much and is well satisfied with life in the Army Air Corps.

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Sabetha Herald

14 Jan 1942

Haley Skinner Leaves Coast

Mr. and Mrs. Lou Skinner received a telephone message from their son, Lieut. Haley Skinner, Sunday evening. Lieut. Skinner was in Los Angeles, Calif., when he called. He told his mother he was leaving the west coast by boat and would leave on the following day, which was Monday. Lieut. Skinner is a pursuit plane pilot.

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Sabetha Herald

25 Jun 1941

Letter From Haley Skinner

The Herald received an interesting letter this week from Haley Skinner, son of Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Skinner of Sabetha. Haley is an Army flying cadet now stationed at Randolph Field, Texas. When he first went into training, he was sent to Arledge Field, Stamford, Texas.

Before Skinner’s training detachment left Stamford Field to transfer to Randolph Field, they published a small magazine in yearbook form called The Plane Wrangler. Haley was named editor-in-chief of the publication. His letter follows:

“Here is a copy of the publication my group of flying cadets put out while we were at Stamford. We had five days to get this out, and it was very much of a hurry-up job, and consequently much copy was omitted. However, it will give you one side of the picture of the schooling of a flying cadet of the Air Corps.

This issue was published for our official dedication of Arledge Field—our school. We put in both the serious and the lighter side with a little foolishness. But running off 2,000 copies was quite a task in itself.

I’m rather late in getting this mailed, but we are kept rather busy and fully occupied mentally as well as physically. Out of 47 boys that started in my class, only 19 managed to survive the strenuous job of learning to fly according to Army specifications. That will give you some idea of the carefulness and exactness of the standards of the Army Air Corps. Here at Randolph Field, probably five or six more will be eliminated, and a few more yet at advanced school.

There are about 400 men here at Randolph in my class, and about 350 in the upper class (those who have been here five weeks or longer). There are about 5,000 persons at this station living at the post proper, and we have a very beautiful little city.

The planes we are flying here are the North American Basic Training planes powered with 400-horsepower motors and cruise at 110 miles per hour. Their cost to the government is a little over $40,000 each. At our primary school we flew the Stearman trainers made at Wichita. They have 52 of them which cost about $15,000 each. We received about 60 hours of flying there, and will get about 70 hours here. Ten weeks here and ten weeks at advanced school will qualify us for commissions.

Some of the cadets here came from Pine Bluff, Ark., where Frank Ladd is located. They say he is getting along quite well. I’m hoping he will be sent here, since I will be here for five weeks of his time here.”

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Sabetha Herald

2 Jan 1946

Men In The Service

Haley Skinner Presumed Dead

Mr. and Mrs. Lew Skinner of Sabetha have received a communication from the Adjutant General’s Office, War Department, that the case of their son, First Lieutenant William Haley Skinner, has been reviewed and a presumptive finding of death has been made as of December 18, 1945. This means that for purposes of records, pay, insurance, and other official matters it is presumed that Lt. Skinner died on December 18, 1945. He was listed as missing on February 27, 1942.

The circumstances surrounding the absence of Lt. Skinner and a group of army and navy personnel reported missing at the same time is intricate and, in many respects, unsatisfactorily incomplete. Haley became an army P-40 fighter pilot who, with his air group, was sent to Australia at the very first of the war, at the time the Japanese were making rapid conquest southward in the Pacific. This army fighter group volunteered to go to Tjilitjap, in southern Java. Half of the pilots were to fly to Java in their own fighter planes, the other half were to go aboard the aircraft tender, (formerly carrier) Langley along with the ground crew personnel, equipment, and P-40 fighter planes. Half the pilots were aboard the Langley. The pilots flipped coins to determine which should fly and which should go on the Langley. Haley Skinner happened to be in the group that went on the Langley.

The ship was unescorted but two destroyers, the Whipple and the Edsall, answered an S.O.S. from the Langley when, 70 miles from her destination, the Langley was attacked by air and had to be abandoned. All personnel were at first taken aboard the Edsall, but later the navy personnel were transferred to the Pecos, a navy tanker. The army ground crewmen and pilots remained on the Edsall. The next day the Pecos was sunk. Her S.O.S. was answered by the Whipple, but not by the Edsall. The Edsall was never again heard from directly and definitely, but Lew Skinner has received some information that appears to indicate it is possible the Edsall might have put in at Tjilitjap. There is a discrepancy in dates and verification is not certain.

The Japanese were moving southward rapidly, and Tjilitjap was overrun at this time, and the port ordered evacuated by all allied personnel. It was not possible to evacuate all, and many were known to have taken to the hills and the interior, later joining or forming guerilla bands as was done in the Philippines. It is believed possible the Edsall might have put in to Tjilitjap, disembarked its army personnel and put out to sea before being lost. There is the further chance that such men, because of scant communications and the dense interior, might have fled the coast and still be alive without connection with the outside world. These circumstances have caused the extended period of delay during which Lt. Skinner and the others in his group have been continued on the War Department’s records as missing.

O. D. H. Bentley of Dover, Mass., is the father of one of the army fliers in the group with Haley Skinner. Bentley has kept in constant communication with next of kin of many of those listed as missing from the Langley and the Edsall, including the Lew Skinners of Sabetha. Mr. Skinner last week received letter number 380 from Mr. Bentley concerning the situation. He has made exhaustive investigation of the circumstances, and Mr. Skinner believes he may know as much or more about the situation as the War Department. In this most recent letter, dated December 26, Mr. Bentley says:

“The War Department no doubt was advised to make a finding in regard to all the boys who have been carried in the ‘missing’ status. It does not mean anything definite, one way or the other, excepting a technical settlement or adjustment of their accrued accounts, etc. I am not giving up yet.”

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Sabetha Herald

22 April 1942

Memorial Service For Lt. Haley Skinner

A memorial service for Lt. Haley Skinner will be held at the Congregational church next Sunday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock, conducted by Rev. E. L. Baker. There has been no word of Lt. Skinner, a flier in the United States Army Air Corps, since he was reported missing by the War Department following the sinking of the U.S.S. Langley, an aircraft tender. The Langley was sunk February 27. Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Skinner, Lt. Skinner’s parents of Sabetha, were notified that he was missing on Saturday, April 4. It is assumed Lt. Skinner was aboard the Langley to be transported to a land air base somewhere in the vicinity of Java, south of which the Langley was sunk. The Langley was carrying P-40 pursuit planes, in the piloting of which Lt. Skinner was expert.

There had been widespread hope that the Sabetha young flier might have survived the sinking of the Langley and the tanker to which survivors of the Langley were transferred. The Pecos was sunk the day following the Langley. Hope was based on the possibility that Lt. Skinner might have been picked up by some vessel that had not been able to report his presence, or that he might have reached the shore of a remote island of the area.

The Skinners talked by telephone to a Kansas City sailor who survived the Langley and Pecos sinkings. A story of the experience of the sailor, who with 34 others clung to a slender bamboo pole until he was finally picked up by a U.S. ship, appeared recently in The Kansas City Star. The sailor told the Skinners he felt there was little possibility their son could have survived inasmuch as he had not been heard from since the disaster. He indicated there were no ships in the vicinity that could not have reported his presence by this time, that there was no land within 150 miles of the places where the ships were sunk and he thought it most unlikely the flier could have been saved by a Japanese vessel and held prisoner.

Lt. Skinner is the first Sabetha boy to die in the service of his country. To die? On the contrary he will live forever as a symbol of service to the ideals of a nation of free men. His sacrifice and that of his family will stand as an example for those who cannot give more than did he. It should inspire Sabetha men and women to appreciate how little they are able to do for America, and to give a measure of service that can never compare to that given by men like Haley Skinner. His life was given for the benefit of 130 million Americans—no, for hundreds of millions of human beings of all colors and creeds, seeking only the privilege of living in a free world.

The loss of Haley Skinner is particularly hard to bear because of his wide friendship with both old and young persons of Sabetha, yet this very fact brings home to all the realities of war, the realization that sacrifices must be shared and borne bravely.

Haley was a serious minded boy, visited with several older Sabethans in searching for information to assist him in getting started in a life’s work he had not yet chosen. When he got into army flying last summer, following a year and a half at Kansas State College and two years at Emporia Teachers, he felt definitely that he had found his element. He loved flying, and he was a fine pursuit pilot. His friends feel a definite satisfaction, in view of his serious search for a vocation, that he was able to get into an activity that fitted him well, that he enjoyed and at which he was expert.

Lt. Skinner was 24 years old on February 28, 1942. He was born at Delphos, Kansas, and came to Sabetha with his parents in 1933. He was graduated from Sabetha High School in 1936.

Members of the Sabetha Community and the Kansas State Guard have been requested to attend the Sunday afternoon service in a body. They will meet at the armory at two o’clock and march to the church.

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Sabetha HErald

8 April 1942

Sabetha Flier Missing

Haley Skinner Was On U.S.S. Langley When It Was Sunk Near Java February 27

The War Department has notified Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Skinner of Sabetha that their son, Haley Skinner, a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps, is missing. He was among those on the U.S.S. Langley when she was sunk south of Java on February 27. Announcement of the sinking was made in the daily papers Saturday morning, the same day the Skinners were notified. Casualties in the sinking of the Langley, which went down as a result of bombing attack, were small, according to newspaper accounts. Survivors were transferred almost immediately to the tanker Pecos. However, the next day the Pecos was bombed and sunk with an estimated loss of about two-thirds of the Langley survivors and the crew of the Pecos.

The telegram received by the Skinners arrived Saturday afternoon shortly after four o’clock and read as follows:

“Deeply regret to inform you that your son, Lieut. Haley William Skinner, United States Army, has been reported missing while in the service of his country aboard the U.S.S. Langley at sea. Further reports will be forwarded as received. The Adjutant General.”

All of Sabetha has been greatly concerned over the report. Haley is a particularly well-liked boy by both older persons and those his own age. He has always been interested in aviation, and got started through a flying club at Hiawatha several years ago. Last summer he went through the rigorous air corps training course at Randolph Field, Texas. He was transferred to Selma, Ala., for final advanced training in pursuit ship work, upon completion of which he was awarded his commission.

He visited in Sabetha just prior to going to the Selma school. He was much in love with the job of flying at that time, and told a Herald reporter that he was especially anxious to get into pursuit work because it has much more action than piloting bombers.

From Selma, Haley went to the 57th Pursuit Squadron at Windsor Locks, Conn. This was about the middle of November when the war broke out December 7. Lt. Skinner was at once transferred to the west coast. It was by chance that he had a stopover in Chicago where his sister, Miss Lula Mae Skinner, is in nurse’s training. He phoned his sister and got to visit with her in Chicago. Miss Skinner then phoned her parents in Sabetha, who were able to meet Haley in Omaha for a brief visit. At that time Haley told his parents he thought the younger pilots were being sent to fight the Japs “because anyone can knock them down and it takes experienced pilots to stay on the east coast to be prepared to meet the Nazis.”

L. E. Skinner had word that Haley had left San Francisco January 12, and he had arrived in Melbourne, Australia, February 2. It is presumed that his presence on the Langley, which is an aircraft tender, was as a passenger rather than a flier. It is assumed the Langley was being used as a transport to carry fliers to a locale of attack. The Langley was carrying P-40 pursuit planes as well as their pilots.

The Langley was at one time an aircraft carrier—that is, a ship with a flight deck for the take-off and landing of airplanes with conventional wheeled landing gear. However, the ship had been converted into an aircraft tender. Such a vessel carries airplanes that are launched by catapult. The planes are equipped with pontoons that land on the water and are then hoisted aboard the ship by cranes.

There are many ways in which a man, under the confused conditions that must have existed following the sinking of the two ships by continued attacks, might be safe yet. Six survivors of the Langley arrived in San Francisco after having been in other ships—whether landing operations or other activities is not known. There were many ships under convoy to the east at the time, survivors but have had no means of giving notification.

The innumerable friends of Haley Skinner in Sabetha refuse to accept the fact that he is missing. There have been several instances in this territory in which service men have been reported as killed when later reports reversed the item.

Lt. Skinner is probably one of the most valuable men to go into military service from Sabetha, considering his age. Although many Sabethans have attained higher rank, few have done so at 24, and the value of fliers in this war is being increasingly understood.

Whether Lt. Skinner had been given an opportunity to get into the air before the sinking of the Langley is not known.

Haley Skinner was born February 28, 1918 at Delphos, Kansas, and was 24 years old last birthday.

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Sabetha Herald

11 Oct 1944

Seneca Flier Missing.

Mrs. Milton Hawley of Seneca received word Sunday that her only son, Second Lieutenant Robert Shaw, is missing in action over Germany since September 18.

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Sabetha Herald

31 May 2006

Lt. Haley Skinner ~ Feb. 28, 1918 – Feb. 27, 1942

First Sabetha man lost in WWII ‘will live forever as a symbol of service to the ideals of a nation of free men’

Third in a three-part series

By Patty Locher, Sabetha Herald News Editor

Haley Skinner of Sabetha was declared missing in action as a result of enemy action in the Pacific Theatre of Operations on Feb. 27, 1942, the day before his 24th birthday.

Lieutenant Skinner, a 1936 graduate of Sabetha High School, was the son of Lewis E. and Nora Elsie (Lew and Elsie) Skinner, who in 1933 moved their family to Sabetha from Delphos, Haley’s birthplace.

The War Department notified the Skinners on April 4 that their son, a lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, was among those who were on USS Langley when she was sunk south of the island of Java, Netherlands East Indies, on Feb. 27.

Casualties in the sinking of Langley, which went down as a result of a bombing attack, were small, according to newspaper accounts. Survivors were transferred almost immediately to the tanker Pecos.

The next day, however, Pecos was bombed and sunk with an estimated loss of about two-thirds of Langley survivors and the crew of Pecos.

The War Department telegram to the Skinners, which did not indicate whether or not Haley had been transferred to Pecos, simply stated:

“Deeply regret to inform you that your son, Lieut. Haley William Skinner, United States Army, has been reported missing while in the service of his country aboard the USS Langley at sea. Further reports will be forwarded as received. The Adjutant General.”

Haley was the first World War II casualty from the Sabetha area. His status was retained as “missing in action” for more than a year after the incident.

According to an April 22, 1942, Sabetha Herald article, Lt. Skinner “will live forever as a symbol of service to the ideals of a nation of free men. His sacrifice and that of his family will stand as an example for those who cannot give more than did he… His life was given for the benefit of hundreds of millions of human beings of all colors and creeds, seeking only the privilege of living in a free world.”

Haley was well liked by both young and old, and had been interested in aviation from a young age, beginning with a flying club in Hiawatha. After a year and a half at Kansas State College and two years at Emporia Teachers College, he joined the Army Air Corps in the summer of 1941.

He completed primary flight training at Randolph Field, Texas, and advanced pursuit training in Selma, Alabama, earning his commission as a pursuit pilot. Assigned to the 57th Pursuit Squadron at Windsor Locks, Connecticut, in November 1941, he transferred to the West Coast after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

While en route, he visited his sister, Lula Mae, in Chicago, and briefly saw his parents in Omaha. He told them he believed younger pilots were being sent to fight the Japanese while experienced pilots stayed in the east to face the Nazis.

Haley left San Francisco on Jan. 12, 1942, and arrived in Melbourne, Australia, on Feb. 2. His presence aboard the Langley, an aircraft tender, was as a passenger being transported with P-40 pursuit planes to Java.

Hopes remained for months that he might have survived, as reports surfaced of other survivors. The Skinners even spoke with a sailor who had survived both sinkings but believed there was little chance Haley had lived, noting there was no nearby land and unlikely rescue by Japanese forces.

A memorial service was held at the Congregational Church in April 1942. In March 1943, the War Department advised that Lt. Skinner’s status would remain “missing in action” until further evidence emerged.

Haley’s niece, Susan Roberts of Westminster, Colorado, shared that her mother often described Haley as curious, adventurous, talented, and skilled in many areas. He played saxophone well enough to perform at dances during college and had studied both history and journalism.

His last letter to his parents, dated Jan. 29, 1942, from “Somewhere in the Pacific,” noted, “By that time I’ll have become 24 years old and in experience, many more years older—if we get into things as we expect to soon.”

Lula Mae last saw her brother in Chicago, where she gave him a book, The Nile by Emil Ludwig, which was later returned with his belongings.

According to the Naval Historical Center, Langley—the Navy’s first aircraft carrier—was converted to a seaplane tender in 1936, sent to the Far East in 1939, and was sunk on Feb. 27, 1942, while carrying Army fighters to Java.

Sources: Sabetha Herald articles from April–May 1942 and March 1943; Haley’s niece, Susan Roberts; and Internet sources.

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From Perplexity

When the USS Langley (CV-1) was lost on February 27, 1942, during Japanese air attacks, a total of 16 crew members died in the initial sinking. Subsequently, many of Langley’s survivors were transferred to the oiler USS Pecos, which was also sunk by Japanese carrier aircraft. Out of over 630 crew and survivors aboard Pecos, only 232 were rescued, leaving more than 400 to die, making the exact casualty numbers difficult to pinpoint due to multiple Allied ship losses in the campaign.

Specifically regarding pilots, 31 US Army Air Forces (USAAF) pilots originally on Langley were lost, including Lieutenant Haley Skinner, who was among those transported on Langley after a coin flip determined which pilots would fly and which would go aboard. Most of these 31 pilots remained on the destroyer USS Edsall to be brought to Tjilatjap but were lost when Edsall was sunk the same day during rescue operations.

In total, including Navy crew and the USAAF pilots, 319 personnel associated with Langley were declared dead following the sinkings of Langley, Pecos, and related escort ships during the intense Japanese attacks in the Dutch East Indies campaign.wikipedia+2

During the sinking of USS Langley (CV-1) on February 27, 1942, the ship itself took 16 crew members lost in the initial bombing attack. However, regarding pilots, there were 31 US Army Air Forces (USAAF) pilots who were originally on Langley. Most of these pilots were transferred off Langley before or during the sinking and remained on the destroyer USS Edsall, which was later sunk the same day, resulting in the loss of nearly all those pilots. Therefore, very few, if any, USAAF pilots actually went down directly with the Langley during its initial sinking.

In summary: 16 crew died on Langley in the bombing, while the 31 USAAF pilots were lost mostly with other ships sunk later during rescue efforts, not directly during Langley’s sinking itself.wikipedia

So many pilots were lost when the USS Langley was attacked mainly because after the ship was critically damaged by Japanese bombers and abandoned, the survivors—including many pilots—were transferred onto escorting destroyers like USS Edsall and USS Whipple. These destroyers themselves were later attacked and sunk by Japanese forces in the same campaign. Most of the 31 USAAF pilots who had been on Langley were on USS Edsall, which was sunk the same day during rescue operations, resulting in heavy pilot casualties.

The Langley itself was vulnerable because it was an early aircraft carrier converted from a collier with limited defensive armament against high-altitude bombing; it could not effectively defend itself against the Japanese bombers attacking from medium altitude. After being hit by several bombs and rendered dead in the water, the ship had to be scuttled. The initial attack killed 16 crewmen aboard Langley, but most pilot deaths occurred later during the sinking of the destroyers and support ships that were carrying Langley’s survivors. Rescue operations were hampered by ongoing Japanese attacks, submarine threats, and the loss of multiple ships in quick succession.wikipedia+2