Billie Irvin Goodson
1926-2020
Photo from Fighting Men of Arkansas
Billie Irvin Goodson was born June 9, 1926 according to his birth certificate to
Noah Anderson & Samuella Lorene Albright Goodson at Amarillo, Potter,
Texas. His first marriage was to Ethel R. Hamm in Sebastian Co, Ar December
4, 1844. They divorced December 11, 1946. His second marriage was to
Grace Lorena Tunnel June 30, 1947 in Fort Smith, Sebastian Co., Ar.
Billie enlisted in the US Navy Janrary 19, 1943 and served until June 17, 1946. The
story of his service is in the biography below and his muster rolls at the bottom of the
page. He served on the USS Tennessee for his full time in the Navy.
Below his musters is the story of the Tennessee for the time he served there.
Billie Irvin Goodson passed away July 13, 2020 in California. His burial was in Pajaro
Valley Memorial Park in Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, California.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Billie I. Goodson of Watsonville, CA passed away peacefully on Monday,
July 13, 2020. He was 94 years.
Known to everyone as "Bill," he was born on June 9, 1926 to Noah Anderson (Chick)
Goodson and Samuella (Sammie) Goodson in Amarillo, Texas.
Bill was proud of being a World War II Veteran in the U.S. Navy on the USS
Tennessee Battleship as a Gunner's mate, Third Class GM3/C. He fought in all
the major pacific theatre battles including the liberation of the Philippines,
Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and numerous other World War II battles.
He worked for Jolley's Jewelers for 26 years as a watchmaker/repairman before
his retirement in 1985. Bill was a resident of Watsonville for 65 years. He was
a lifetime member of both the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1716 and the Pajaro
Valley Rod & Gun Club.
He is survived by a son Bill (Lizzie) Goodson of Watsonville, grandson Chris
(Chrissy) Rubio of Slidell, Louisiana.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Grace Lorena Goodson, a daughter,\
Diana Rubio Allemand and granddaughter, Kelly Rubio.
Interment at Pajaro Valley Memorial Park.
Biography from Fighting Men of Arkansas
In 1943, Tennessee and many of the older battleships were thoroughly rebuilt to
prepare them for operations in the Pacific War and in June-August, she took part
in the Aleutian Islands Campaign, providing gunfire support to troops fighting to
retake the islands. The Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign followed from
November 1943 to February 1944, including the Battles of Tarawa, Kwajalein, and
Eniwetok. In March, she raided Kavieng to distract Japanese forces during the
landing on Emirau, and from June through September, she fought in the Mariana
and Palau Islands campaign, bombarding Japanese forces during the Battles of
Saipan, Guam, Tinian, and Anguar.
The Philippines campaign followed in September, during which the ship operated
as part of the bombardment group at the Battle of Leyte. The Japanese launched
a major naval counterattack that resulted in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, a series
of four naval engagements. During the Battle of Surigao Strait, Tennessee formed
part of the US line of battle that defeated a Japanese squadron; this was the last
battleship engagement in history. Tennessee shelled Japanese forces during the
Battle of Iwo Jima in February 1945 and the Battle of Okinawa from March to June.
During the latter action, she was hit by a kamikaze but was not seriously damaged.
In the final months of the war, she operated primarily in the East China Sea, and
after Japan's surrender in August, she participated in the occupation of Japan
before returning to the US late in the year.
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