US Navy Chief Yeoman Cecil Thomas Sehler was born in Augusta, Georgia in 1907, the son of Charles Thomas Sehler (1875-1915) and Mary Louisa Toommerhanser (1882-1950). His father was born in Germany and immigrated to the US with his parents and siblings in 1885. Charles supported his family as a tailor for a clothing shop in Augusta where the family made their home.
His son, Cecil Thomas Sehler would enlist in the US Navy on November 24, 1937 and spent much of his naval career aboard ship. At one time, he was stationed in Pensacola where he met and married Janice Hazel Sehler although we do have a record of him marrying a Jean Heinrich Bailey in Milton on September 10, 1932. It's possible that these two are one and the same.
In the meantime, on April 7, 1943 Cecil was serving aboard the USS Aaron Ward (DD-483) as they escorted the LST-449 through Lengo Channel in the Solomons. Suddenly, the destroyer’s lookouts spotted three enemy planes coming out of the sun straight for them. Her gunners open fired, but a minute later, three more dive bombers headed for the ship as well. Ordered to flank speed, the Ward open fired with her 20-mm and 40-mm guns as well as her 5-inch battery. Bombs from the first three planes struck on or near the ship rocking her violently and appeared to lift her out of the water. The first bomb tore holes in her side, rapidly flooding the forward fire room with the second bomb striking the engine room causing a loss of all electrical power to the 5-inch and 40-mm mounts. Shifting to manual control, the gunners kept up their fire when a third bomb splashed close by. This one punched a hole in her port side near the after-engine room. Having lost power to her rudder, the ship circled helplessly as the second trio of dive bombers attacked, achieving two near misses.
Despite the determined efforts of her crew and the assistance of the tugs USS Ortolan (ASR-5) and Vireo (ATO-144), the destroyer developed an increasing list to starboard, and by 2115 all hope was gone. At 2135, after a failed attempt to beach her on Florida Island, her bulkheads gave way, and the ship sank stern-first. Twenty-seven of her crew died that day including Chief Cecil Thomas Sehler along with fifty-nine wounded. Janice received notification from the War Department that her husband's body was not recovered, and his official declaration of death would be the standard one year and one day in the future. The 1946 & 1947 City Directories have Janice still living in Pensacola at her address of 2901 West Cervantes Street (at today's W & Cervantes). At the time, she was working as a stenographer for C. Hobart Villar. It is also likely she is the same Janice Heinrich Sehler who married Richard Houghton in Pensacola in 1947.
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