Fon Huffman
Encyclopedia
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
who was believed to be the last survivor of 1937 attack on the USS Panay
USS Panay (PR-5)
|-External links:* * *...
gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
, which became known as the Panay incident
Panay incident
The USS Panay Incident was a Japanese attack on the American gunboat while she was anchored in the Yangtze River outside Nanking , China on December 12, 1937. Japan and the United States were not at war at the time. The Japanese claimed that they did not see the American flags painted on the deck...
. The United States and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
were not at war at the time of the attack. The sinking of the USS Panay marked the first act of aggression by the Japanese Empire against the United States prior to World War II.
Early life
Fon B. Huffman was born on August 19, 1913, in Truro, IowaTruro, Iowa
Truro is a city in Madison County, Iowa, United States. The population was 427 at the 2000 census. Truro is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, to parents Washington Elmer and Ida Huffman. He was the youngest of six siblings.
Huffman enlisted in the U.S. Navy when he was just 16 years old with his father's signature
Signature
A signature is a handwritten depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a signature is a signatory. Similar to a handwritten signature, a signature work describes the work as readily identifying...
.
Panay Incident
Huffman was serving as a 24-year-old boilerman in the U.S. Asiatic Fleet on board the Panay at the time of the attack on December 12, 1937. The fleet's mission was to patrol the Yangtze River to protect American interests as part of a treaty between the United States and the Nationalist government of ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
The Japanese attack and sinking of the Panay in the Yangtze was captured on camera by Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
news reporter, Norman Alley. Huffman gave his own lifejacket to Alley during the attack. There are several still photographs and film footage of Huffman throwing an improvised flotation device off the Panay.
Huffman served on naval destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s in both the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He retired from the Navy as a chief petty officer
Petty Officer
A petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
in June 1949.
Personal life
Huffman met his future wife, Lillian (Homberger) Schwarz, in Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, while on leave from the Navy. The couple were married in November 1945. They had two daughters - Nancy, born in 1946, and Gayle, who was born in 1949.
The Huffman family moved to Golden Valley, Minnesota
Golden Valley, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,281 people, 8,449 households, and 5,508 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,982.3 people per square mile . There were 8,589 housing units at an average density of 839.5 per square mile...
, following his retirement in 1949. They built their first home in the town. Huffman worked for the local school district
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
before taking a position with the Soo Line Railroad
Soo Line Railroad
The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S. Class I railroads. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste...
, where he worked as a stationary engineer
Stationary engineer
A stationary engineer, also called operating engineer or power engineer, is a tradesman who operates heavy machinery and equipment that provide heat, light, climate control and power. Stationary engineer are trained in many areas, including mechanical, thermal, chemical, electrical, metallurgical,...
. He continued to work for the railroad for more than thirty years until his retirement.
Fon and Lillian Huffman moved to Summerville, Florida from Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, in 1972 before settling permanently in Titusville, Florida
Titusville, Florida
Titusville is a city in Brevard County, Florida in the United States. It is the county seat of Brevard County. Nicknamed Space City, USA, Titusville is on the Indian River, west of Merritt Island and the Kennedy Space Center and south-southwest of the Canaveral National Seashore...
. They continued to reside in Titusville until Lilian's death in 2006. Huffman moved to Sierra Vista, Arizona
Sierra Vista, Arizona
Sierra Vista is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 43,044....
, several months after his wife's death to live with his oldest daughter, Nancy, and her husband. Just prior to his death, Huffman was interviewed about his wartime experience by filmmaker Nick T. Spark
Nick T. Spark
Nick T. Spark is an American documentary filmmaker and writer. Films he has written, directed or produced include Regulus: The First Nuclear Missile Submarines and the Emmy award winning The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club...
for the website USSPanay.org.
Death
Fon Huffman died in his sleep in a nursing homeNursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
in Sierra Vista, Arizona
Sierra Vista, Arizona
Sierra Vista is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 43,044....
, on September 4, 2008, at the age of 95. He was survived by his daughters, Nancy (Steve) Ferguson of Sierra Vista, Arizona, and Gayle (Rusty) Pickus of Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
; and his grandchildren - James Pickus and Jeffrey Pickus.
Huffman was buried in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
External links
- Sierra Vista Herald: Fon Birdell Huffman obituary
- USSPanay.org Video presentation about Fon Birdell Huffman's experience aboard USS PanayUSS PanayThree vessels of the United States Navy have been named USS Panay, after the Visayan Island Panay.* The first Panay was originally a Spanish gunboat in the Philippines, purchased in 1899 after the American occupation, and in various service until 1914, and sold in 1920. Among those who served upon...
created by Nick T. SparkNick T. SparkNick T. Spark is an American documentary filmmaker and writer. Films he has written, directed or produced include Regulus: The First Nuclear Missile Submarines and the Emmy award winning The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club...