Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1941 Lucky Bag:

LELAND S. McDANIEL, JR.

Boat Club 4, 3, 2, 1; D and B Corps 4, 3, 2, 1; Swimming Manager 3, 2, 1; Radio Club 4, 3, 2, 1; Ring Committee.

Perhaps the friendly smile and ruddy complexion are due to the land of sunshine from whence he hails, but “Mac” certainly is a picture of truly abundant good health. Numbered among our accomplished gadgeteers, “Stan” keeps the wherewithal to pursue his many and varied hobbies stored in his copious strong box. Able to fix anything for anyone, “Mac” is a worthy substitute for the Master-at-arms. In addition to an infectious, good-natured grin, and a desire to help, “Mac” is one of the few true optimists that are always willing to drag blind, although he claims to have found “the one.” Good books and music seem to be Leland’s only vices but to them he devotes almost every spare moment. Three years devotion to the “Hell Cats” has given “Mac” contact with the music he loves, and his storehouse of knowledge includes Bach to Strauss. He is extremely self-sufficient; time is never idle on his hands. Constantly busy either managing swimming or engaged in his numerous hobbies, “Mac” leads a full life.

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The Class of 1941 was the first of the wartime-accelerated classes, graduating in February 1941.

Loss

Leland was lost when USS Hoel (DD 533) was sunk by Japanese surface forces on October 25, 1944 in the Battle off Samar. He was Executive Officer; the ship earned the Presidential Unit Citation for her heroic stand against a vastly superior enemy force.

Other Information

His wife was listed as next of kin. He was also survived by his parents.

Photographs

From the Lucky Bag's page on the swim team

Silver Star

From Hall of Valor:

(Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Lieutenant Leland S. McDaniel, Jr. (NSN: 0-100415), United States Navy, was awarded the Silver Star (Posthumously) for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in connection with military operations against an armed enemy as Executive Officer of the U.S.S. HOEL (DD-533), off Samar, on 25 October 1944. His gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service.

General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 348 (March 1946)
Action Date: October 25, 1944
Service: Navy
Company: Executive Officer
Division: U.S.S. Hoel (DD-533)

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together, or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.