Lt. Haley Skinner
Haley William Skinner was born on February 28, 1918, in Delphos, Kansas, and moved with his family to Sabetha in 1933. He attended Kansas State College and Emporia Teachers College, where he developed a passion for aviation, earning his private pilot’s license in March 1940. His interest in flying led him to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Corps in March 1941, marking the beginning of a promising military career.
Haley’s initial training took place at Airlee Field in Stamford, Texas, followed by advanced training at Randolph Field. His dedication to his studies saw him survive the stringent training process, and by the summer of 1941, he was one of the few cadets still in the program. His leadership and commitment earned him the role of editor-in-chief of a cadet publication, and by the fall of 1941, he had completed his pursuit pilot training at Selma, Alabama, earning his wings as a second lieutenant.
Assigned to the 57th Pursuit Group, Haley was stationed at Windsor Locks, Connecticut, where he continued training and preparing for combat. With the onset of World War II, he was transferred to the west coast and eventually to Australia in early 1942. He was aboard the USS Langley, a converted aircraft carrier being used as an aircraft tender, on its mission to transport P-40 fighter planes to Java.
On February 27, 1942, tragedy struck when the Langley was attacked by Japanese aircraft near Java. The ship was severely damaged, and its crew was forced to abandon it. Haley and other survivors were transferred to the USS Pecos, a tanker that was itself sunk the following day by Japanese bombers. Haley was reported missing after these events, and despite extensive efforts to locate survivors, no definitive word of his fate emerged.
For months, the Sabetha community and Haley’s family clung to hope, buoyed by reports of survivors being rescued long after similar incidents. A memorial service was held in Sabetha in April 1942 to honor his service and sacrifice. Friends, family, and members of various community organizations, including the Masonic Order, Boy Scouts, and American Legion, gathered to pay tribute to Haley, a beloved figure in his community.
In December 1945, after nearly four years of uncertainty, the War Department officially presumed Haley dead. He was 24 years old at the time of his death, having perished in the service of his country. Haley’s life was one of devotion to his family, friends, and nation, and his memory continues to inspire those who knew him.
Haley was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, and his name is inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines, as well as on a memorial in Sabetha Cemetery, Kansas. His legacy endures as a symbol of courage, service, and sacrifice during one of the most challenging periods of American history
Executive Officer Lt. Commander Lawrence J. McPeake was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for valor for his actions aboard Pecos. After the order to abandon ship was given by the ship’s Captain, Commander Abernethy, Lt. Commander McPeake was seen engaging Japanese Aichi D3A1 “Val” dive bombers, which were machine-gunning survivors in the water. By some crewmembers’ accounts, he was reported to have made it off the ship after it went down. Others reported him last being seen manning the machine gun. In fact, he did swim away from the vessel with another officer as it was going down. However, his body was never recovered and he was eventually listed as Killed In Action after the war.
After Pecos was sunk, Whipple raced to the scene and rescued 232 survivors. Many of the survivors, although visible by crew members of Whipple, were unable to be picked up and were abandoned at sea, due to the detection of what was thought to be two enemy submarines in the area at extremely close range. Out of over 630 total crewmen and Langley survivors on Pecos more than 400 were left behind and died. Exact casualty numbers for the doomed ships of the United States Asiatic Fleet and American-British-Dutch-Australian Command are impossible to gather because so many Allied warships were sunk in the Dutch East Indies campaign (at least 24 total) and many of those ships had already picked up survivors of other sunken ships and then were also sunk by the Japanese hours or days later.
