During my research for The Real Night Order Book, I found that there was a crewmember that was actually killed during an engagement with the enemy.  He served on the first Billfish and was only 24 years old when he died.  His name was Robert V. Oliver. 

Robert was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, he was the son (and only child) of Frank and Florence (Vieira) Oliver who had immigrated to America from the Azores archipelago, a part of Portugal.  The only newspaper announcement of his death that I could find was in the Boston Globe dated July 11, 1945. It was just a name on a list with no details as to how he died.  And he had actually died on June 5th. It was during Billfish’s seventh war patrol when engaging three Japanese schooners that Billfish took enemy fire and crewmates Robert V. Oliver and Ralph W. Boese were shot. Ralph survived. However, Robert, who was shot at 4:38 the afternoon of June 4, 1945, later died after midnight on the 5th. Because of the sub’s inability to store his body, Robert was buried in the Yellow Sea 40 miles off the coast of southern Korea.  As tragic as this was, Billfish had to continue with the remainder of her war patrol before returning to port.  She eventually survived the war, unlike 52 other U.S. submarines that did not.  So there are a lot of people who should be remembered on Memorial Day, and Robert V. Oliver from Gloucester, Massachusetts, part of America’s greatest generation and a member of the USS Billfish (SS-286) crew, is clearly one of them.  I hope that every Memorial Day, when you gather with your family and friends at home or your local veterans club, please take a moment to honor the sacrifice this man and so many other veterans have made for our country.  Thank you.