John Richard Blattner

Aviation Ordnanceman Second Class John Richard Blattner was born on June 27, 1924, the son of Clarence W.F. and Mae Blattner. His early years were spent in Egg Harbor City in Atlantic County NJ, where the family, which included his older brother Charles and younger sister Joyce, lived at 400 Chicago Avenue. An uncle and aunt, Irvin and Florence Blattner, lived next door at 406 Chicago Avenue. He enlisted in the Navy in June of 1942 while a student at Egg Harbor High School. His family had by then moved to 1984 Merrimac Road in Camden NJ, where his father had taken a position as an accountant at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard in Camden.

John Richard Blattner qualified for flight duty and served in the Pacific as a bow gunner and bombardier. He had taken a photo with his crew on February 24, 1944. He was killed in action shortly thereafter, at the age of 19. His death was reported in the March 19, 1944 edition of the Camden Courier-Post. He was survived by his parents, his sister Joyce, and his brother Charles, who was at the time at Princeton University as part of the Navy’s V-12 program. He was awarded the Purple Heart. He is buried at Egg Harbor City Cemetery in Egg Harbor City NJ.