Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

With the 78^th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec, 7, I will be writing about the two  sailors from Andalusia who were there on that day.

They were Comer Anderson Wilson and William Hope Baldwin. The article on Baldwin will appear next week.

Comer A. Wilson was killed when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He was a Chief Bosun’s Mate aboard the USS Arizona [BB 39] and had served aboard the ship since 1931.

Comer was born March 23, 1907 in Andalusia. His parents were Paul Anderson Wilson and Hannah Doscia Wilson. He attended Andalusia schools prior to enlisting in the Navy in April 1930. We’re not sure of the marriage date but Comer A Wilson married Martha Ann Murphree. She was pregnant with a son, Comer A Wilson Jr.at the time of her husband’s death.

Many of those killed on the Arizona were not able to be recovered and were entombed permanently as a part of the USS Arizona National Memorial.

Comer Wilson’s body was recovered and he was returned to Andalusia and buried with full military honors at the Magnolia Cemetery in Andalusia.

Martha Wilson eventually married Lenton Pruitt, who had lost his wife in 1965. Lenton had two sons, Sam and Travis. Travis was a classmate of mine in the class of 1958.

John Vick