John Cashman (journalist)

Last updated

John Cashman
Born
Queens, New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 31, 1945
Okinawa, Japan
Cause of death Plane crash
Occupation War correspondent
ParentMrs. Mary M. Cashman

John Cashman (died July 31, 1945) was an American war correspondent for the International News Service who covered the Pacific theatre during World War II. He was killed in an aircraft accident on Okinawa on July 31, 1945.

Contents

Biography

The son of Mrs. Mary M. Cashman. of 87-51 86th Street, Queens, New York, John Cashman graduated high school at Richmond Hill High School in 1935.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy immediately for a four-year term, and spent two years in China, where, though still attached to the Navy, he wrote a sports column covering Navy boxing matches for the Shanghai Globe-Mercury. Cashman was on the crew of the USS Augusta, then flagship of the Asiatic Fleet, the vessel on which President Truman sailed to Potsdam.

Cashman's enlistment expired in 1939, but he reenlisted in 1942. "In May of that year he lost his left arm as a result of an ammunition explosion while he was on sea duty in the Atlantic, and was honorably discharged in December 1942." [1] [2]

His arm was amputated from severe wounds he received when a gun misfired. "It was while recovering from the amputation in his New York home that he decided to do something about his desire to be a journalist." [3] [4]

He then became a sports writer for the International News Service, hoping to go back to war in the role of a correspondent. He was sent to Guam in February 1945 and then to Manila, where he volunteered to accompany a regiment into battle in the Borneo invasion, he covered the Australian invasion of Balikpapen successfully. [1] [2]

Death

While returning to his INS headquarters on Guam from Borneo, he had reached Okinawa on July 30, 1945. On July 31, the Consolidated B-24 Liberator he was aboard crashed and exploded on takeoff, [5] [6] killing Cashman, 27, and the crew of eight. A military funeral with honours [7] attended by high-ranking Naval officers was held on Okinawa for Cashman on August 1, 1945. [1] [2]

Cashman was the 17th war correspondent killed in the Pacific theater. [7] [8]

Family

At the time of Cashman's death, he had two brothers serving in the U.S. Navy, Ensign George A. Cashman, 22, commander of a minesweeper off of San Francisco, and Robert, 23, an aviation machinist's mate first class, who was in the Pacific for 20 months, but now assigned at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas.

He was also survived by two sisters, both wives of Naval lieutenants, Mrs. Sumner Thompson, of Wollaston, Massachusetts, and Mrs. Vernice Cheek, of San Diego, California. [1] [2]

Commemoration

Cashman is one of over a dozen UP, INS and UPI journalists' names included on a Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial dedicated in Arlington, Virginia, in May 1996. [9]

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Bunker Hill</i> (CV-17) Essex-class aircraft carrier of the US Navy

USS Bunker Hill was one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was named for the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War. Commissioned in May 1943 and sent to the Pacific Theater of Operations, the ship participated in battles in the Southwest Pacific, Central Pacific and the drive toward Japan through Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and air raids on the Japanese homeland.

USS <i>Duncan</i> (DD-874) Gearing-class destroyer

USS Duncan (DD-874) was a Gearing-class destroyer of the United States Navy, the third named for Captain Silas Duncan USN (1788–1834). The ship was laid down by the Consolidated Steel Corporation at Orange, Texas on 22 May 1944, launched on 27 October 1944 by Mrs. D. C. Thayer and commissioned on 25 February 1945. The ship was sunk in 1980.

USS <i>Bell</i> (DD-587) Fletcher-class destroyer

USS Bell (DD-587) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, the second Navy ship named for Rear Admiral Henry H. Bell (1808–1868).

USS <i>Gendreau</i> Buckley-class destroyer escort in the United States Navy

USS Gendreau (DE-639) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort in the United States Navy. She was commissioned on 17 March 1944 and decommissioned on 13 March 1948. She served throughout the Pacific during World War II.

USS <i>Munsee</i> Tugboat of the United States Navy

USS Munsee (AT/ATF-107) was an Abnaki-class fleet ocean tug. She is the only ship of the United States Navy to hold the name Munsee, which is the name of a subtribe of the Delaware Indians, still living in Wisconsin and Kansas.

USS <i>Dufilho</i> Destroyer escort of the United States Navy

USS Dufilho (DE-423), was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort.

USS <i>George</i> (DE-697) Buckley-class destroyer escort

USS George (DE-697) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort. She was the second ship of the United States Navy named after Seaman Second Class Eugene F. George (1925–1942), who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism on USS San Francisco at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

USS <i>La Grange</i>

USS La Grange (APA-124) was a Haskell-class attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1945. She was scrapped in 1975.

USS <i>Crouter</i> Evarts-class destroyer escort

USS Crouter (DE-11) was an Evarts-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy in commission from 1943 to 1945. The ship was named after Mark Hanna Crouter (1897–1942), U.S. Navy officer and Navy Cross recipient.

USS <i>Mitchell</i>

USS Mitchell (DE-43) was an Evarts-class destroyer escort constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. She was sent off into the Pacific Ocean to protect convoys and other ships from Japanese submarines and fighter aircraft. She performed escort and anti-submarine operations in dangerous battle areas and was awarded nine battle stars, a very high number for a ship of her type.

USS <i>Cooner</i> Cannon-class destroyer escort

USS Cooner (DE-172) was a Cannon-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. She was sold for scrap in 1973.

USS <i>Leland E. Thomas</i>

USS Leland E. Thomas (DE-420) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1973.

USS ATA-176 was an ATR-1-class rescue tug built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was laid down on 30 January 1944 and launched on 1 March as USS ATR-103, but was re-designated ATA-176 on 15 May. She was commissioned as USS ATA-176 on 19 August. She served in the U.S. Pacific Fleet during the war and was decommissioned on 30 June 1947. She was then manned with a civilian crew and placed in service, being renamed USNS Tonkawa (T-ATA-176) on 16 July 1948. Tonkawa, the first U.S. Navy vessel named for the Tonkawa, was taken out of service in 1956 and placed in reserve.

USS <i>Sabik</i> Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Sabik (AK-121) was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

USS <i>Chatham</i> (AK-169) Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USS Chatham (AK-169) was an Alamosa-class cargo ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering troops, goods and equipment to locations in the war zone.

USS <i>Knudson</i>

USS Knudson (APD-101), ex-DE-591, later LPR-101, was a United States Navy high-speed transport in commission from 1944 to 1946 and from 1953 to 1958.

USS <i>Rednour</i>

USS Rednour (APD-102) was a Crosley-class high speed transport that served in the United States Navy from 1945 to 1946. In December 1969, she was transferred to Mexico and served under the name Chihuahua until July 2001.

USS <i>Pavlic</i> United States destroyer escort ship

USS Pavlic (APD-70) was built by Dravo Corporation at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a Buckley-class destroyer escort. Pavlic was launched 18 December 1943 and towed to Texas for refitting as a United States Navy high-speed transport. Pavlic was in commission from 1944 to 1946, serving in the Okinawa campaign as a radar picket ship. Pavlic was decommissioned 15 November 1946. After more than 20 years of inactivity in reserve, she was stricken from the Navy List on 1 April 1967. On 1 July 1968, she was sold for scrapping to North American Smelting Company.

USS <i>Yokes</i>

USS Yokes (APD-69), ex-DE-668, was a United States Navy high-speed transport in commission from 1944 to 1946.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Staff, "Queens Writer Killed When Plane Explodes", Long Island Star-Journal, Long Island City, New York, Thursday August 2, 1945, page 11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Newspaper article" (PDF). fultonhistory.com. August 2, 1945.
  3. ↑ Raudy, John Hill, "The Price of News: American War Correspondent Casualties - A Thesis in Mass Communications", Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, August 1977, pages 120-121.
  4. ↑ file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Owner/My%20Documents/Downloads/31295001201630.pdf
  5. ↑ United Press, "I.N.S. Correspondent Killed in Plane Crash", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Thursday August 2, 1945, Volume 51, page 2.
  6. ↑ Moseley, Ray (July 9, 2018). Reporting War: How Foreign Correspondents Risked Capture, Torture, and Death to Cover World War II. Yale University Press. ISBN   9780300224665 – via Google Books.
  7. 1 2 Staff correspondent, "Newsman Dies In Bomber Crash", The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, Australia, Friday August 4, 1945, 115th Year, Number 33,576, page 1.
  8. ↑ "The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) - 3 Aug 1945 - p1". Trove.
  9. ↑ "UPI journalists listed at monument - UPI Archives". UPI.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.