Early life

Jack Sniff was born on 22 March 1922 in Valley City, Pike County, Illinois to Martin Leo (b. 23 May 1896 d. 26 April 1978) and Martha (Hinmann) (b. 24 March 1899 d. 29 January 1999) Sniff. Martin Niff was a farmer. Jack had two sisters, Charlotte and Barbara Ann and an older brother Martin who served as an Army paratrooper in the European Theater during World War II. Martin attended the Princeville high school and graduated in 1940. In high school he excelled as a basketball and baseball player, so much so that he tried out as a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox. He was told he wasn’t heavy enough and was sent home to work out on the farm. In high school he learned to play the coronet.

Military

On 5 March 1941 he enlisted in the Marine Corps in Chicago, Illinois followed by his training at San Diego. Noted for his musical ability he joined the Marine Band at Base Headquarters, participating in numerous parades and concerts in Balboa Park.

He was assigned to the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor where he was promoted to the rank of first-class bugler and Corporal in October 1941. He was assigned as an anti-aircraft gunner and a bugler. His athletic activity continued on board ship, being a member of the basketball and baseball teams and pitching numerous games at the athletic field in Honolulu.

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 they ordered the crew to general quarters. During the attack the battleship was struck by 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. We remember and honor the 1,177 service members lost on that dark day.

Of the 88 Marines in the Marine Detachment, 15 survived the explosion. 21 of those lost were identified. The other 52 were entombed in the USS Arizona. Corporal Sniff’s remains were not recovered. Memorial services were conducted for him at the Princeville Presbyterian Church. His name appears at the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor and is displayed in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

Sources

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34625544/martin-l

https://missingmarines.com/jack-b-sniff/

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https://www.facebook.com/USSArizonaMallMemorial/posts

https://www.fold3.com/memorial/530007596/jack-b-sniff

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

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

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org ). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit and war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen’s name and read his/her story.

Mac Kolar, LtCol USMC Retired, is a volunteer for SBTS. If you notice anything which has been missed in the profile, you may contact LtCol Kolar at mackolar@verizon.net.

Jack B Sniff