EARLY LIFE

Frederick Robert Bircher was born on November 1, 1917 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were George W. Bircher (1882-1973) born in Pennsylvania and Irene Mann Bircher (b.1890) born in New York. George and Irene had four children: George Jr., Dorothy, Frederick and Mary. Sadly, George Jr. died at the age of 1 year old of bronchi pneumonia. The family lived in Philadelphia where George worked as a manager of a brass foundry in 1920 to 1930, then in 1940, as a partner in the brass foundry.

According to his enlistment paperwork, Frederick completed four years of high school and was employed as a repairer.

MILITARY

Frederick enlisted in the United States Navy on October 3, 1940 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His service number was #4051062. He was a Petty Officer 3rd Class with a specialty as a Radio Man 3rd Class. His assignment was on the USS Arizona.

DEATH

The following is an account of the Japanese attack on the USS Arizona:

On the morning of 7 December 1941, a fleet of Japanese carriers launched an air strike against the U.S. Pacific Fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The attack decimated the ships and personnel of the fleet and thrust the United States into World War II. At the onset of the 7 December 1941 attack, the battleship USS Arizona (BB-39) was moored at berth Fox 7 on “Battleship Row.” The repair ship Vestal (AR-4) was on the port side; and the starboard side faced the northeastern shore of Ford Island. Just before 8 am, the ship’s air raid alarm was sounded and the crew was ordered to general quarters. During the attack the battleship was struck by as many as eight aerial bombs, including one 1,700-lb armor-piercing shell which penetrated the deck near the Number 2 Turret and detonated in the smokeless powder magazine, causing a “cataclysmic” explosion “which destroyed the ship forward” and ignited a fire which burned for two days. Most of the Arizona crewmen who perished in the attack died instantly during the explosion. The ship quickly sank to the bottom of the harbor along with 1,177 of the 1,512 personnel on board, representing about half the total number of Americans killed that day.

RM3c Frederick Robert Bircher was among the 1,177 people who were killed in action aboard the USS Arizona on December 7, 1941 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

POST DEATH EVENTS

RM3c Frederick Robert Bircher is buried or memorialized at Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location.

Thank you for your sacrifice and service! You will not be forgotten!

COMMENDATIONS

Purple Heart

Combat Action Ribbon

World War II Victory Medal

American Campaign Medal

Navy Presidential Unit Citation

Navy Good Conduct Medal

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal

Navy Expeditionary Medal

SOURCES

https://pearlharbor.org/facts-uss-arizona-bb-39/

http://www.ibiblio.org/phha/arizona/history.html#pearlharbor

familysearch.org

ancestry.com

findagrave.com

honorstates.org