Brothers Arvel & Beecher Henderson Beecher Rhue Henderson was born August 10, 1920 in Midland, Sebastian Co., Ar. to William Harvey and Elsie Bartlett Henderson. Beecher married Helen H. Huntoon from Iowa. Beecher registered for the military draft Febuary 16, 1942 at Ada, Pontotoc Co., Okla. where he was living at that time. He enlisted in the US Navy July 2, 1942. Beecher was assigned to the USS Phelps. In December 31, 1942 his rank was Gunner's Mate 3rd class. He stayed with the USS Phelps through the war. The last muster I found for him was October 24, 1945. His rank was Gunner's Mate 3c. The muster records and a description of what the USS Phelps did during the time Beecher served there are posted after his personal records. Beecher Rhue Henderson passed away May 31, 2000 at Webster Groves, St. Louis Co., Mo. His body was cremated and there is not a record at a cemetery. St. Louis Post Dispatch June 6, 2020 During the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, USS Phelps shot down one enemy plane. In February and March 1942, she served as part of the destroyer screen for Task Force 11, including the carrier USS Lexington, in an attack in the Huon Gulf off Lae and in an attack on Salamaua, New Guinea, over the Owen Stanley mountain range from the Gulf of Papua, 10 March 1942. During the Battle of the Coral Sea beginning on 8 May, when Lexington and USS Yorktown diverged to avoid enemy attacks, Phelps stayed with Yorktown. Phelps emerged from the battle with no casualties, but when the Lexington was seriously damaged, she helped to prevent enemy capture of the carrier by administering the coup de grace and finished her off with two torpedoes. Aleutians and Central Pacific action In June 1942 she protected the American carriers that dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese Navy in the Battle of Midway. In August 1942 she guarded forces invading Guadalcanal. After a visit to the west coast in October, she participated in landings upon Attu, Alaska, in May 1943. After bombarding Kiska, Alaska, she provided gunfire support for landings at Makin Atoll in November 1943. In the Marshall Islands campaign in February 1944, she bombarded Kwajalein and Eniwetok. In March she guarded tankers during a strike on the Palau Islands. In June she bombarded Saipan to protect American forces that had landed there on the 15th. Atlantic duty Following duty at Saipan, she steamed via the Panama Canal to Charleston, South Carolina, for armament alterations, arriving 2 August. Departing Norfolk, Virginia, in November, she escorted a convoy to Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria. After three more convoy escort voyages to the Mediterranean in 1945, she arrived at New York, New York 10 June USS Phelps circa November 1944