John DeLeo

Seaman First Class (SN1C)

Hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, Mr. DeLeo was born on March 14, 1926 and served aboard the Missouri from 1944 to 1946 as a proud WWII plank owner. He held the rank of Seaman First Class (S1c). He served in the Gunnery Department’s FA Division, working in the Forward Plot Room on the Secondary Battery Fire Control computers. 

During his service aboard the Mighty Mo, Mr. DeLeo experienced the battle of Iwo Jima and the kamikaze attacks at Okinawa, but he didn’t get to see anything because his watch station was three decks down inside the ship. Later, as the war came to a close, he witnessed the Surrender Ceremony from high up in the superstructure of the ship. 

After the war, he returned home to Rhode Island, where he built a loving life with his late wife Dorothy "Dottie" and their five children. 

Mr. DeLeo attended many of the Missouri reunions throughout the years. On September 2, 1998, he and Dottie traveled to Pearl Harbor to attend the 53rd Anniversary of the Surrender. He was 72 when he and many of his fellow plank owners donned Navy whites one more time to participate in the formal ceremony for their old ship. 

In November 2024, he was awarded five long overdue awards, presented by U.S. Senator Jack Reed. He currently still resides in Rhode Island. 

When Mr. DeLeo recently saw a model of the Mighty Mo at the International World War II Museum, he remarked, "Isn't she beautiful? I have to salute her... I'm excited about getting back to Pearl Harbor and seeing my ship."