Backus, Thomas Hawkins

Rank and Name, Lieutenant Junior Grade Thomas Hawkins Backus.

Unit/Placed in, USS Indianapolis (CA-35) Cruiser, United States Naval Reserve.

Thomas is born approx. on 6 Aug. 1917 in Quanah, Texas.

Father, George W. Backus.

Mother, Lucille (Hawkins) Backus.

Spouse, Lou E. (Brindley) Backus.

Son, Thomas M. Backus (Myers).

Thomas enlisted the service in Texas with service number # 0-317018.

Thomas was KIA when the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by the Japanese Submarine I-58 in the Philippine Sea on their way to Leyte, on July 30, 1945, he is honored with a Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Expeditionary Medal, American Campaign Medal, Navy & Marine Presidential Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.

Thomas is buried/mentioned at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Manila, Metro Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines.

Walls of the missing.

Thanks to, https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew

http://www.ussindianapolis.org/story.htm

Jean Louis Vijgen, ww2-Pacific.com and ww2-europe.com.

Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.

ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov

Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker

Seabees History Bob Smith https://seabeehf.org/

Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org

POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.

Philippine Info, http://www.philippine-scouts.org/ Robert Capistrano