MS Coast man was one of America’s first casualties in WWII. How he landed at Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, aboard the USS Arizona, Pass Christian’s Cecil Roy Ruddock became one of the first Americans to make the ultimate sacrifice in World War II.
Cecil was born on August 24, 1919, in Gulfport. His mother Alice’s untimely passing in 1928 left Thomas to support eight children by working as a truck driver for a local grocer during the Great Depression.
During this time, the family eventually found its way to the quiet Coastal Mississippi town of Pass Christian.
Cecil’s childhood years saw him attending St. Joseph’s Catholic School and participating in worship services at the Chapel of St. Paul, where he served as an altar boy. Beyond his academic and religious commitments, Cecil also participated in the Boy Scouts.
According to the 1940 Census, Cecil had only completed eighth grade and was employed as a service station attendant while working alongside his younger brother, Julius.
Enlisting into the Navy
As global tensions escalated with wars in Europe and Asia, Cecil, like many young Americans, was drafted or voluntarily enlisted into the military. Cecil chose the Navy and enlisted from New Orleans on August 5, 1940 and was sent to Navy recruit training soon after.
He then received orders to the USS Arizona, which had recently been relocated to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as a deterrent against Japanese aggression. During the Arizona’s time in the Pacific, Ruddock earned a promotion to Seaman First Class while participating in various training missions.
In October 1941, just a month before a scheduled reassignment to Bremerton Navy Yard, the USS Arizona collided with the USS Oklahoma. The damage from the incident forced the ship to remain at Pearl Harbor to await repairs, sealing the Arizona’s eventual fate.
On the night of December 4, 1941, S1c Ruddock likely participated in the Arizona’s final live-fire training exercise. The following morning, the ship docked next to Ford Island—a position it would never depart from again.
Just before 8 on the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese Navy commenced its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Within just a few minutes, the USS Arizona sustained hits from several armor-piercing bombs. One of these bombs pierced the forward magazine, triggering a catastrophic explosion that ripped the ship in half.
The sinking of the Arizona claimed the lives of 1,177 sailors and Marines, including 22-year-old Cecil. Over 2,400 Americans were killed in the attack.
Aftermath of Pearl Harbor
The next morning, residents of Coastal Mississippi awoke to the news of the “Day of Infamy” and the nation’s declaration of war on Japan. Italy and Germany would declare war on the U.S. on the 11th, formally bringing the nation into WWII.
The sinking of the Arizona hit Pass Christian especially hard as the Ruddock family grappled with the uncertainty surrounding Cecil’s fate. According to a Daily Herald article a few weeks after the attack, the Ruddocks received a Navy telegram asserting that Cecil was still Missing in Action. Cecil’s brother, Leon, even conveyed that the family still clung to hope that he might have somehow survived the sinking.
In February 1942, St. Paul in Pass Christian hosted a memorial service and High Mass, offering solace to the Ruddock family and commemorating Cecil’s memory. The mass was attended by an honor guard of ten soldiers from Keesler Field, while several members of the Pass Christian High School band played “Taps” at the church door.
Cecil’s brothers, Julius and Thomas Jr., later enlisted and served in the Army during the war.
Seaman First Class Cecil Roy Ruddock was never recovered and still remains at rest aboard the Arizona’s wreckage at Pearl Harbor. He was the first of many local casualties in WWII.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars post 5931 in Pass Christian later adopted Cecil’s name to honor his memory. His family also erected a memorial headstone which can be visited at Live Oak Cemetery to serve as a lasting reminder of the local hero.
