NAVY  SERVICE  A  FAMILY  TRADITION

John Ziemer Jr. was born February 18, 1917, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first child in the family which later grew to seven children, five of which were boys.  Readily available historical records concerning John are relatively scarce but report that his father served in the Navy as a Boatswains Mate Second Class prior to World War One and was employed during World War Two as a civilian aircraft inspector at Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, New Jersey.  The father’s enthusiasm for sea service and for aviation was so great that all five of his sons followed him by joining the Navy during World War Two.  Two of his sons became Naval Aviators, another became a Naval Air Crewman Chief Petty Officer, and one became a Radarman First Class who served aboard two carriers. 

In April 1942, John enlisted in the Navy from New Jersey and joined the Seabees.  He was discharged from the Navy in October 1945 following the end of World War II and having attained the rate of Painter Second Class.  John died January 24, 2006, while residing in Florida, and is buried in a family plot at Riverside Cemetery in Toms River, New Jersey.

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)