Corydon McAlmont Wassell (1884 - 1958)

Born 4 Jul 1884 in Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas, United States

Ancestors

Died 12 May 1958 at age 73 in Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas, United States

Biography

Corydon Wassell is Notable.

Rear Admiral Corydon McAlmont Wassell was one of the earliest American heroes of World War II. ^[1] He earned the Navy Cross for his service as well as praise from President Franklin D. Roosevelt. ^[1] His story inspired a Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959) movie, The Story of Dr. Wassell, starring Gary Cooper, in 1944. ^[1]

Corydon was born 4 July 1884 in Little Rock, Arkansas to Albert Wassell and Leona McAlmont. ^[2] He studied medicine at the University of Arkansas Medical School (now University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences), graduating in 1909. ^[1] His postgraduate work was completed at Johns Hopkins University. ^[1] His first wife was Mary Irene Yarnell, ^[3] with whom he had four children. ^[1] They volunteered as medical missionaries and were posted to the Wuchang area of China, where Mary passed away in 1926. ^[1] Corydon's second wife was Madeline Edith Day, whom he met while on the mission in China. ^[1]

He soon applied for a commission with the United States Navy and was made a lieutenant in the Naval Reserves. ^[1] In 1927 he returned to Arkansas with his second wife ^[4] and worked in public health, including as a doctor for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). ^[1] In 1936 he was called to active duty with the Navy and stationed at Key West, Florida. ^[1]

In 1941, he was sent to the Philippines, leaving from San Francisco on 7 December 1941. ^[1] Due to the attack on Pearl Harbor, his ship was rerouted to Java in the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia). ^[1] In February of 1942, the British fortress at Singapore fell and the Japanese invaded Sumatra in the Netherlands East Indies. All Americans were ordered to evacuate, but only those who were ambulatory were allowed on the transport vessels. ^[1] Dr. Wassell chose to stay with his patients who were turned away, knowing full well that he would likely be captured by the enemy. ^[1]

Wassell was "almost like a Christ-like shepherd devoted to his flock," President Franklin Roosevelt told the nation on the evening of April 29, 1942, in his fourty-ninth fireside chat. ^[1]

As the Japanese closed in, Dr. Wassell was able to convince a British army convoy to convey him and his patients to the coast where they hoped to find transport back to America. ^[1] This trip of 150 miles was extremely dangerous, over rough jungle roads to the southern port of Tjilatjap with limited medical resources to care for the dozen or so severely injured men. ^[1]

Upon arriving in Tjilatjap, Dr. Wassell persuaded the Dutch captain of the Jannsens to allow them to board, despite the ships already being overloaded. ^[1] The ship came under several times.

As President Roosevelt noted, “Dr. Wassell took virtual command of the ship, and by great skill avoided destruction in the bays and little inlets." ^[1]

The official citation of Dr. Wassell's Navy Cross reads:

For especially meritorious conduct, devotion to duty, and utter disregard of personal safety, while in imminent contact with enemy forces and under attack from enemy aircraft, in caring for and evacuating the wounded of the United States Navy under his charge in Java, Netherlands East Indies, about March 1, 1942. ^[5]

“Lieutenant Commander Wassell disregarded personal safety while caring for and evacuating wounded…under extremely trying conditions. By his courage, determination and untiring devotion to duty, Lieutenant Commander Wassell saved many lives.” ^[1]

He instantly became an international hero and author James Hilton (1900-1954) wrote a biography of him, The Story of Dr. Wassell (1943). The rights to this book was obtained by Cecil B. DeMille who made a movie released in 1944. ^{[1] [5]} Dr. Wassell donated all the proceeds he earned as an uncredited technical advisor on the film to a hospital for the deaf and blind in Little Rock. ^[5]

Dr. Wassell later worked at a charity hospital in Hawaii without pay, then returned to Key West, Florida. ^[1] Near the end of his life, he returned to Arkansas to be near family. ^[1] He passed away in 1958 ^[2] and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery; Section 30 Site 344-1. ^{[6] [1] [5]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24} Bowden, David O. "Corydon McAlmont Wassell (1884-1958)," Encyclopedia of Arkansas online article (https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/corydon-mcalmont-wassell-4842/ : accessed 21 July 2022); citing
   • Hilton, James. The Story of Dr. Wassell. New York: Little, Brown & Co., 1943.
   • Hull, Michael. “Profiles.” World War II History Magazine. May 2006, p. 14.
   • Sobocinski, Andre B. “Corydon Wassell: A Missionary for All Seasons.” Navy Medicine 95 (March–April 2004): 25.
   • USS Marblehead & Dr. Wassell Information Center. http://www.ussmarblehead.com (accessed April 29, 2022).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Arkansas Department of Vital Records. Death Certificates. Little Rock, AR, USA; database and digital images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 July 2022); citing Arkansas Department of Vital Records; Little Rock, Arkansas; Death Certificates; Year: 1958; Roll: 2. Ancestry Record 61777 #736519 Ancestry Sharing Link
3. ↑ "Arkansas County Marriages, 1838–1957." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2009, 2011. "Arkansas County Marriages, 1838–1957," database, FamilySearch; from Arkansas Courts of Common Pleas and County Clerks. Digital images of originals housed at various county courthouses in the State of Arkansas. Marriage records; database and index, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 July 2022); citing FHL Film Number: 1024573. Ancestry Record 2548 #379202 Ancestry Sharing Link
4. ↑ Selected Passenger and Crew Lists and Manifests. National Archives, Washington, D.C.; database and digital images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 July 2022). Ancestry Record 8945 #751399 Ancestry Sharing Link
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} Wikipedia contributors, "Corydon M. Wassell," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Corydon_M._Wassell&oldid=1062826637 : accessed July 22, 2022).
6. ↑ National Cemetery Administration. Nationwide Gravesite Locator; database and index, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 July 2022); citing National Cemetery Administration; U.S. Veterans' Gravesites. Ancestry Record 8750 #3279155 Ancestry Sharing Link

• "United States Census, 1900", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3X9-2FV : 10 March 2022), Corudon M Wassell in entry for Albert Wassell, 1900.
• "Arkansas Marriages, 1837-1944", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQBD-LLQ : 11 January 2020), C. Mc. A. Wassell, 1911.
• "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDFZ-W48 : 31 January 2021), Corrie Mac A Wassel in entry for Albert Wassel, 1920.
• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMGZ-XLT : accessed 22 July 2022), Corydon Wassell, Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 40, sheet 29A, line 16, family 710, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 92; FHL microfilm 2,339,827.
• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQJ1-QWL : 7 January 2021), Corydon M Wessell, Prairie Township, Arkansas, Arkansas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 1-23, sheet 4A, line 3, family 62, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 116.
• "United States Deceased Physician File (AMA), 1864-1968", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W6C3-YC2M : 14 December 2020), Corydon McAlmont Wassell, 1958.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q537-5BJ1 : 23 July 2020), Dr Corydon Mcalmont Hilton Wassell, 1958.