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Loyce Edward Deen: April 24, 1921- November 5, 1944

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✪ Loyce Edward Deen was a United States Navy Aviation Machinist Mate (Gunner) 2nd Class enlistee from Altus, Oklahoma who served in VT-15 squadron aboard the USS Essex aircraft carrier which was assigned to the South Pacific Theater during World War Two. Deen is remembered & historically distinguished as being the only US Military aviator to ever be buried at sea in his plane.

Loyce was born to Allen and Grace Deen on April 24th 1921 in Sulphur, Oklahoma and was the youngest of seven children. At the time of his birth, he had three brothers Perry (16), Lance (14), Loyd (5) and three sisters Joyce (12), Lorene (10) and Martha (8). When Loyce was four years old, his parents had one more child, Lewis, who was born with Down’s Syndrome. Growing up Loyce would care for Lewis and the two became close. In 1924, the Deens moved to Altus, Oklahoma. Altus is small town located in southwest Oklahoma. Loyce’s father was a school teacher and his mother a housewife who stayed home to care for the family.

Like many small towns across America at that time, Altus took pride in its local youth; evident by the impressive high school which was built & completed during the Depression. Fewer states were hit harder during the Depression than Oklahoma. The same buildings still exist today and are still being utilized. Each Spring in the 1940’s, the Altus Times-Democrat newspaper would highlight the lives of each and every graduating senior. Sadly, four other members of Loyce’s graduating class would later go on to also be killed in action during WWII.

Loyce’s childhood was filled with tragedy & personal loss. When he was in eighth grade, his younger brother Lewis suddenly became ill and died within a few days. Then, in October 1938 while Loyce was a Junior, his mother suffered a debilitating stroke which left her paralyzed. Loyce and his older brother Lance, with his wife Tommie, cared for her at Lance’s home down the street until she passed away on November 30th.

On April 28th 1940, the Altus Times-Democrat newspaper printed its senior article about Loyce. It stated “Loyce Deen is a young man with high ambitions. He plans to enter the US Navy aeronautical mechanics division after graduation and finds subjects such as problems of American democracy, the most interesting. He has also been active in dramatics work at school.” To help out his family, Loyce worked part time at the Wilson & Company Produce Warehouse at 602 South Grady in Altus.

After high school, Loyce worked for the Government’s CCC Program in Gould, Oklahoma. In 1942, he joined the Douglas Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas. There, they built 1,600 complete sets of wings for the A-26 Invader attack bomber.

His niece Mrs Bertha Deen Sullivan  (Lance and Tommie’s daughter) of Edmond Oklahoma, who was a very young girl at the time, vividly remembers Loyce. In a 2012 interview, she said, “Loyce was a tall, dark handsome young man with deep blue eyes.” She said he would always pick her up and ask her “Who loves ya?” Then, he would kiss her on the forehead then gently put her down. Bertha added, “When he left, he picked me up one last time, hugged me and said, ‘I will see you later.” Bertha also remembers talking with his girlfriend.

Even before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Loyce wanted to join the US Navy. His dream of joining the US Navy and serving his country came true when he enlisted in October 1942. Loyce went to San Diego for basic training. Next, he went to Purcell, OK for gunner’s school; where he learned all aspects of the Avenger’s guns and ammunition. Finally, Loyce went to where all Avenger airmen ended up; the Naval Air Station in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where they trained and flew in actual Avengers.

In September 1943, Loyce was assigned to a brand new Air Group, the 15th Air Group formed in Westerly, RI. On September 27th, Loyce teamed up with Lt. Robert Cosgrove. Donald “Digby” Denzek joined the group on October 15th.  Together, they practiced flying up and down the southern New England coastline. On November 14th, they flew to Chincoteague Naval Air Station, Virginia where they performed in the flyover for the inauguration of the new carrier, USS Hornet (CV-12). This is the same carrier which would in 1969 return the Apollo 11 astronauts after completion of their Moon mission

After brief leaves, on February 14th, Loyce and his squadron departed Norfolk, Virginia for Pacific duty aboard the USS Hornet. They arrived in San Diego on February 27th. Then, departing February 29th, the squadron arrived at Pearl Harbor on March 4th. They disembarked on March 5th and remained at NAS Barbers Point through March 8th when the 15th Air Group proceeded to NAS Puuene, Maui, for forward area training. This phase ended when the squadron reported aboard USS Essex for duty on April 29th in Pearl Harbor.

Together, this team of young men fought courageously everywhere in the South Pacific. Battle action included the Battle of Lyte Gulf, Iwo Jima (to soften up defense before the invasion), Formosa (now Taiwan), Philippines, Marcus Island, Wake Island, Saipan, Orate Airfield, Rota Island, Peleiu, Mindinao, Cebu, Luzon, Panay, Okinawa and finally Manila Bay.

October 24th and 25th saw some of the most intensive fighting the Air Group had ever encountered. No other unit or element of the Navy saw quite as much action in the naval battle of those two days off the Philippines as did the task group to which Air Group 15 was attached.

Sometime during Oct 24th, Loyce was injured on the right foot from AA shrapnel. He wrapped up the wound and stayed on to fight the following day. He would later posthumously receive a Purple Heart medal for this injury.

On November 1st 1944, Air Group 15 was excited about the prospect of being rotated out in two weeks to return home on Christmas leave. Loyce could have chosen to stay on a hospital ship in Ulithi Atol to continue recovering from his foot injury; instead, he chose to ignore his injury and remain on board the Essex and fly those final two weeks of missions with his fellow crew mates. A decision which would ultimately cost him his life.

As his niece Bertha said after being informed of Loyce’s death, “Im not surprised he stayed with his unit. Loyce would not have it any other way – he would always remain at his post to make sure his brothers came home safely with him.”

That day, four strikes were made from the USS Essex. Two on Nichols Airfield at Manila and two on shipping in Manila Bay. At the same time, Japanese planes were on the radar screen most of the day, and at 1:39pm  the carrier USS Lexington was damaged by a Kamikaze pilot which dove into her Island structure. In the same attack another enemy plane diving on the carrier USS Ticonderoga, narrowly missed and plunged into the sea alongside. The USS Essex, stationed between these two ships was not attacked.

Each day, reveille was sounded on the USS Essex’s intercom at 5:30 am. Breakfast was served in the mess hall at 6:30am. After breakfast, pilots attended  briefings in the ‘Ready Room’ to get their final orders, weather conditions and the plane that was to be assigned to them. That day, Lt. Cosgrove received tail number #93 – an new plane just acquired in Ulithi Atol a few days ago. Lt. Cosgrove’s orders were to go after the Japanese cruisers in Manila Bay. After the briefing, Lt. Cosgrove joined his crew, Digby and Loyce, and they went topside to their plane. Loyce climbed into his gun turret for the final time. The VT-15 group took off mid morning and It would take about two hours to get to the Manila Bay and release the ordinance.

Along the way, they encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire from a Japanese cruiser and Loyce was killed from two AA shells. In the 2001 History Channel documentary film  “Battle Group Halsey” interview, Capt. Cosgrove recalled, “Denzek told me over the intercom that Deen was hit bad. Then, Densek came back up thru the small passage way to sit in the cabin behind me. He stayed there until we landed.”

During the attack, the plane and its controls were heavily damaged. Lt. Cosgrove had his hands full and used all his strength and skill to return another un-flyable plane. It was very sad, long and harrowing two hour flight back to the carrier that included flying through two severe thunderstorms.

While the men aboard the Essex were always surrounded by death, the ghastly scene shook even the most hardened veteran. Less than an hour later, wind muted the ship’s chaplain as he issued a blessing, but it was nothing the sailors hadn’t already heard. Then, the Avenger, with Deen still inside, was pushed into the sea and his fellow shipmates bid him fair winds and following seas.

It was part necessity — his TBM Avenger was so badly shot up by 40mm anti-aircraft shells that the removal of Deen would have been almost impossible — but the U.S. Navy took it one step further to honor their slain shipmate. According to a memorial page dedicated to Deen, orders came down not to strip the plane for parts, a rare occurrence during a time when the demand for scrap metal was high. Deen was buried at sea in his plane. The remains of his lifeless body still strapped into his gunner’s harness.

Due to the technology of the times and the two war fronts the US was as involved in, word was slow to get back to the families. It wasn’t until Monday evening on November 21st, during a time when families were getting ready for Thanksgiving when Loyce’s father received a knock at the door.

It was a military representative with a telegram from the Navy Department. It stated that Loyce had been killed in action. The next day, the news of Loyce made the front page in Altus Times-Democrat newspaper.

Deen’s niece Bertha remembers how upbeat the family was the week before Thanksgiving. Loyce was scheduled to be home from the war in a few weeks for Christmas. She also remembers the shades being lowered and like so many families during WWII, the heavy sorrow that fell over the entire family. When the news arrived of his death, she remembers her mom quietly telling her ‘Loyce will not be coming home.”

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Deen’s name is inscribed on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Manila, Philippines. ✪