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Seaman Second Class James Norman Stapley

Photograph of a young man in a jacket and tie.
  • Unit: USS Liscome Bay
  • Service Number: 8823702
  • Date of Birth: November 16, 1922
  • Entered the Military: June 30, 1942
  • Date of Death: November 25, 1944
  • Hometown: Mesa, Arizona
  • Place of Death: Gilbert Islands
  • Award(s): Purple Heart, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one gold star
  • Cemetery: Courts of the Missing, Court Two, . National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Contributed by Mrs. Ellen Miller
ASPIRE Academy at Arredondo, Tempe, Arizona
2025/2026

Early Life

James Norman Stapley (known by his middle name, Norman) was born on November 16, 1922, in Mesa, Arizona, the son of Robert Norman and Susannah Stapley. He descended from one of Mesa’s earliest pioneer families. His grandfather, Thomas Stapley, and uncle, Orley Seymour (O.S.) Stapley were influential figures in Mesa’s business and civic life. Family, faith, and community service shaped his upbringing. He belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Baseball and Brotherhood

Norman Stapley grew up in a large family with several sisters and brothers. The Stapleys operated businesses in Mesa, including the R.N. Stapley Sheet Metal Shop on Robson Street. James worked at the family business as an apprentice plumber and later at Falcon Field, where he and the local community supported British pilots training for the war.

He attended Mesa High School, where he excelled both academically and athletically. Yearbooks and local newspapers highlighted him as a gifted baseball player. His love for the game led him to play for the American Legion, local Mesa teams, and later semi-pro teams, where he earned recognition as a strong hitter and dependable teammate. He built a reputation for “over-the-fence” home runs and solid fielding, and later, he earned semi-pro honors and tried out for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Baseball became more than a sport to him—it shaped the way he approached service, resilience, and sacrifice. It was a training ground for life. On the field, he learned discipline, strategy, and teamwork. Those who played with him remembered his steady character, quiet leadership, and ability to lift his team without seeking personal glory. These same qualities would define his military service.

Thanksgiving Wedding

After the outbreak of World War II, Stapley registered for the draft on June 30, 1942. A few months later, just after his twentieth birthday, James Norman Stapley married Norma Perkins, a talented musician and a junior at Mesa High School. It would be a November 25, 1942, Thanksgiving Day wedding at Day Saints Church, followed by a reception at the Perkins’ home.

A photograph of the Robert Norman Stapley Sheet Metal Shop on Robson Street, Mesa, Arizona. Family Search.
A photograph of Norman Stapley hitting a home run. Arizona Republic, July 5, 1941.
Mr. & Mrs. Norman Stapley were married on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1942. Courtesy of Dennis Jost.

Homefront

When World War II began, Mesa was a close community with just over 7,000 people. The city was known for the “4 Cs”: Citrus, Cotton, Cattle, and Copper. These became important to the war effort.

Community Impact

People in Mesa took part in large events, such as the War Bonds Parade in September 1943, to help raise money for the military. The Mesa Women’s Club helped by rolling bandages for the Red Cross. Students from Mesa Public Schools joined the High School Victory Corps, a national program in which teens picked cotton to address labor shortages during the war.

The Bracero Program, officially called the Mexican Farm Labor Program, was also created to address the U.S. labor shortage caused by World War II. It brought migrants, mainly men, from Mexico to the United States to work seasonally on short-term contracts.

The citrus and cotton industries were important for supplying food and materials to the Armed Forces. Although Mesa did not have major factories, nearby locations such as Falcon Field and Williams Field played key roles in military training and operations.

Stay in There and Pitch

During the war, baseball served as a vital recreation and diversion to maintain national morale, a sentiment famously supported by President Franklin Roosevelt’s Green Light Letter.

Stapley was part of a massive wave of ballplayers who answered the call to service, joining more than 500 major leaguers and 2,000 minor leaguers—including icons like Bob Feller—who traded their professional dreams for military uniforms.

In Mesa, the local community viewed the discipline and teamwork displayed by stars like Norman Stapley on the diamond as the ultimate preparation for the rigors of military leadership.

War Bonds Parade held in Phoenix, Arizona, September 16, 1943. PRISM Library, Arizona State University (CP MCLMB A1687J).
Mesa Women’s Club olling bandages, c.1939-1946. Nielsen Dowell Collection, Mesa Historical Museum (2004.014.002).
War bonds campaign ad: Stars in Service, Strike Out the Axis! Richmond News Leader, 1943. Duke Digital Repository (W116).

Military Experience

Stapley was inducted into the U.S. Navy and, following his training in San Diego, California, was assigned as a Seaman Second Class in Composite Squadron 39 (VC-39) aboard the escort carrier USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56).

Operation Galvanic

On October 21, 1943, the USS Liscome Bay departed for the Territory of Hawaiʻi. While docked at Pearl Harbor, the ship took on additional provisions, including Thanksgiving turkeys. On November 10, 1943, the ship departed Pearl Harbor in company with other units of Task Force 52 and proceeded west for the offensive Operation Galvanic. The Casablanca-class flattop carrier would escort vulnerable convoys to the Pacific and provide air support during Operation Galvanic at Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.

On November 24, 1943, many squadron members had already taken their stations or climbed into the cockpits of their aircraft, preparing for the dawn patrol launch. The ship’s cooks were preparing Thanksgiving turkeys for the day. Just five minutes after the crew sounded general quarters, a lookout on the starboard gallery spotted a torpedo wake heading directly for the ship.

Moments later, a Japanese submarine, I-175, led by Lieutenant Commander Tabata Sunao, launched a torpedo that struck near the bomb magazine. The explosions hit the squadron areas especially hard.

Chaos ensued, and sailors were forced to abandon the ship. The ship exploded and sank within minutes. Five destroyers and several aircraft searched into the night for survivors among the wreckage, which included floating Thanksgiving turkeys. Of the 916 men aboard, only 272 survived, many suffering severe burns. The USS Liscome Bay disaster stands as one of World War II’s most devastating carrier losses. The attack killed 644 sailors and airmen, including James Norman Stapley, who was just 21 years old. Because he went missing in action, he never celebrated his first Thanksgiving wedding anniversary.

James Norman Stapley’s draft registration card, signed on June 30, 1942. National Archives and Records Administration.
The USS Liscome Bay sailing with SBD Dauntless, TBF Avenger, and F4F Wildcat aircraft on its flight deck, September 20, 1943. Naval History and Heritage Command (80-G-82901).
Diagram illustrating the positions of several ships in the task group at the time of the attack on the USS Liscome Bay. This was included in a memo sent from L. L. Hunter to R. M. Griffin, December 5, 1943. Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, National Archives and Records Administration (RG 38).
Naval report on the attack on the USS Liscome Bay (page 1), December 14, 1943. Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, National Archives and Records Administration (RG 38).
Naval report on the attack on the USS Liscome Bay (page 21), December 14, 1943. Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, National Archives and Records Administration (RG 38).
Naval report on the attack on the USS Liscome Bay (page 3), December 14, 1943. Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, National Archives and Records Administration (RG 38).

Commemoration

Second Class Seaman James Norman Stapley was lost at sea. His name is memorialized on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Honolulu Memorial, and his story is told at the Mesa Historical Museum in Mesa, Arizona.

After his death, the U.S. Navy presented his family with a Purple Heart, the Navy Good Conduct Medal, and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with a gold star. Local leaders of an annual track meet at Arizona State College created a special race called the Mesa Mile. The winner of this race was awarded the Norman Stapley Memorial Trophy to honor his legacy.

His life reminds us that true heroes often go uncelebrated in stadiums or history books. Sometimes, quiet players give everything—on the field and in life—without seeking recognition.

The sandlots and big league ballparks of America have contributed to our military success . . . A million and a half kids from junior sandlot teams . . . are in the Armed Forces. They learned the teamwork it takes to win a battle or war. We never dare forget that a campaign can be upset by a ninth-inning rally. We dare not relax until the last man is out.

Army Commander General Brehon Somervell, 1944

Newspaper report that Stapley was missing in action. Arizona Republic, December 9, 1943.
A wooden cut-out of a photograph of Second Class Seaman Norman Stapley from 1943. Courtesy of the Mesa Historical Museum (2011.999.011).
Two enlisted sailors from the USS Liscome Bay were buried at sea by a Coast Guard-manned assault transport. National Archives and Records Administration (NAID 205584699).
James Norman Stapley’s name on the Honolulu Memorial at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, 2026. Courtesy of the American Battle Monuments Commission.

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This profile was researched and created through the Researching Silent Heroes program, sponsored by the American Battle Monuments Commission.