Alva B. Johnson

The gravestone of Alva Benjamin Johnson in the Gettysburg National Cemetery.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Significance:

Storekeeper 3rd Class, 34th Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees), World War II

Place of Birth:

Langhorne, PA

Date of Birth:

December 12, 1909

Place of Death:

Solomon Islands, South Pacific

Date of Death:

February 22, 1943

Place of Burial:

Section 2, Row B, Site #8

Cemetery Name:

Gettysburg National Cemetery

Section 2, Row B, Site #8

Born on December 12, 1909, Alva was one of five children born to Thomas and Gertrude Johnson in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the town of Langhorne.

Alva’s life work was in the arena of education, which President Eisenhower once referred to as the “bread and butter” of citizenship. After graduating high school in 1927, Alva attended Morgan College in Baltimore, Maryland, then went on to graduate study at Temple University.

By his 30th birthday, Alva was an English teacher and athletic director at historic Storer College, in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, where his brother, LeRoy, served as the dean of the school.

With Jim Crow and segregation limiting educational opportunities for African Americans, Storer College and others like it provided hope for a path forward. During the Johnson brothers’ time there in the late 1930s, the school began offering four-year degrees and enrollment reached around 400 students. Alva’s educational pursuits and teaching career established him as well-respected member of the community, and a well-regarded educator.

Like millions of Americans following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Alva wanted to enlist. However, just like access to education was not equal for Americans of all races, the armed forces were not open for all to serve equally.

Prior to WWII, just over 4,000 of the 170,000 enlistees in the U.S. Navy were African Americans, and they were confined to the roles of steward’s mates. In early 1942, the Navy opened new roles for African Americans, starting in the ranks of the Seabees. Building fortifications, naval facilities, and essential infrastructure was necessary for victory, and thousands of African Americans joined up to help the war effort. Alva Johnson was among them.

When he enlisted on July 6, 1942, Alva was 5 foot 11 inches tall, weighed 178 lbs., and had brown eyes and black hair.

Draft Board Registrar's Report for Alva B. Johnson 

His service began on September 28 at Camp Allen, in Norfolk, Virginia. Alva’s rank was Storekeeper 3rd Class, in the U.S. Naval Reserve. His unit, the 34th Naval Construction Battalion, was one of the first new African American naval units to be commissioned.

Soon, the men were on their way first to San Francisco, and then out to the Pacific Theater. The battalion spent 20 months overseas, constructing important naval facilities and infrastructure on far-away places, such as the British Solomon Islands.

The 34th Naval Construction Battalion ultimately paved the way for more African Americans to serve in the navy during the war, with several more construction battalions being formed in their wake. Though dealing with the troubles of discrimination and racism, these battalions helped pave the way for the overall desegregation of the U.S. Navy after the war.

By February 1943, Alva Johnson and the 34th Naval Construction Battalion were at a grouping of islands just north of Guadalcanal in the Solomons. Exposed to Japanese fire, on February 22, Alva and another member of his battalion were killed in action.

Canceled Draft Card of Alva B. Johnson

When word of Alva’s death reached his parents back in Bucks County, PA, they were heartbroken. Alva was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and a Victory Medal. Temple University, where he had gone to graduate school, held a memorial in his honor.

After an initial burial overseas, Johnson’s family chose to have his remains brought home. In February 1948, the army transport “Cardinal O’Connell” arrived in San Francisco with the bodies of 2,785 servicemen and women who died during the war. Of those 179 were from Pennsylvania.

A memorial service was held for Alva in his hometown on Thursday, March 11, 1948, with the local American Legion post conducting the military service, and Rev. William Saunders officiating.

Alva was reinterred at Gettysburg the following day, on Friday, March 12, 1948.