Joseph Parker Hittorff, Jr.

ENSIGN JOSEPH PARKER HITTORFF JR., was born in December of 1916 in New York to Joseph and Ethel Hittorff. He spent some of his early childhood in Springfield MA, where, according to the 1920 census, his father was working as a commercial traveler in the coffee business. The Hittorff family, which included his older sister Marion, relocated to Westmont NJ. 

Joseph Hittorff Jr. graduated from Collingswood (NJ) High School in 1934. He was an Eagle Scout, and was the manager of his High school football team during his senior year. After high school, he attended the Brown Preparatory School for English and mathematics. He entered the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis MD in June 1936, and graduated in 1940. On July 1, 1940 he reported to the West Coast for his initial assignment. He  was serving aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma when it was sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Trapped below deck when the ship capsized, he was one of 20 officers and 395 enlisted men to die aboard the ship that day.

Ensign Hittorff had completed all the requirements for promotion to Lieutenant Junior Grade, but the commission had not come through at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. Besides the Purple heart, he was posthumously awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign medal, the American Defense Medal, and the Victory Medal. He was survived by his parents and sister, of 211 Virginia Avenue, in Westmont NJ. 

USS OKLAHOMA LINKS

An Excellent Site Dedicated to Those Lost at Pearl Harbor

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Camden Courier-Post - June 10, 1933

Proficiency Awards Presented To Camden County Boy Scouts 
Court of Honor Held in Haddon Heights High School;
Badges Given by Stedman; Haines Presides at Event 

Boy Scouts of Camden county participated last night in impressive ceremonies at the semi-annual Court of Honor of the Camden County Council when awards for proficiency in scouting were made. 

The court was held in Haddon Heights High School Auditorium. Joshua C. Haines, county scout commissioner, presided and the Eagle Scout badges, highest award, were presented by A. W. Stedman, president of the council. 

The awards fellow: 

Eagle Badge-Edward. Buczkowski and Alexander Foster of Troop 21, Camden. 

Life Scout Badge-Conrad W Deuter, Edwin A. Forbes and Charles J. J. Meyer of Troop 5, Camden; George Capoulas, Troop 21, Camden; Harold W. Shallcross, W. E. Hayes and Kirk Cramer, of Troop 55, Berlin; Rawlins Eastwick, Troop 64, Haddonfield; E. W. Roberts, Troop 105, Collingswood; Francis Weatherby, Troop 110, Merchantville. 

Silver Quartermaster's Badge- Thomas L. Rich, mate Of the Sea Scout Ship Farragut.

Star Scout Badge- H. Robert Lind, Joseph W. Martin and Harry Martin, Sea Scout Ship Farragut; Walter B. Everett. L. H. Gehr, Jr., Michael Melka and Edward S. Hunt, Troop 5, Camden; David King, Troop 2, Camden; K. Borman,·Troop 14, Camden; William Neale, Troop 10, Camden; Albert Pape, Edward Watson and Taylor Kellogg, Troop 21, Camden; J. Frank Sweeney and Rainsford Darling, Troop 59, Collingswood; William E. Hales and Richard Groo, Troop 78, West Collingswood; S. Joseph Burns, Edward Taylor and Nelson Ulrich, Troop 80, Gloucester; Lloyd Van Horn, Troop 90, Atco; Eric Crowe, Richard McKinney and Kenneth Price, Troop 109, Gloucester; Charles Breme and Kenneth Litzinger, Troop 105, Collingswood; Charles Arentzen, Troop 111, Stratford; Charles David Smith, Troop 110, Merchantville; Edward C. Barnett, Jr., Conrad V. Kanuf, Robert D. Sayrs and William C. Stevenson, Troop 112, West Collingswood; Willard Schaeffer, Robert Fiddler, Robert B. Riddle, R. Proctor. Jr., J. Laing Jr., and G. Cook, Troop 113, Oaklyn; Erik Hemmingsen, Troop 118, Gibbsboro. 

Merit Badges- David King, Leo Ocroombout, Lawrence Corn, Troop 2, Camden; Lester Daniels, H. Robert Lind, Patrick Brady, Howard Walker, Andrew Weatherby, Edward Trummel, Joseph E. West, Alvah Veit, Joseph Martin. Harry Martin, Warren Weber, James A. Keenan, Leslie Smith, Russell Walls, Marvin Lequer, Paul Thompson, Elmer Hamilton, Thomas B. Rich, Jr.. Robert Rich, Troop 4, S. S. S. Farragut; Walter B. Everett Michael Melko, William Walston, Roy A. Voll, Robert Trace, Robert Stephens, Carl Seifling, Oliver Rinear, Charles Meyers, Edward S. Hunt, Philip Tice. L. H. Gehr Jr., E. Forbes, Fred Brooke, Conrad W. Deuter, Troop5, Camden.

A. Braun. Troop 9, Camden; Wilbur Powell, William Brenton, Troop 11, Camden; K. Borman, Troop 14, Camden; Norman Steinberg, Joseph Foster, Edmund Buczkowski, Alex Foster, Franklin Kinsky, Albert Pape, B. F. Mercer, George Capoulas, Scott Hilton, Edward Watson, Harry Dolmetsch, Taylor Kellogg, James Capoulas, Albert Baker, Loy Zorger, Troop 21, Camden; Howard Todt and W. Albinson, Troop 52. 

Lloyd Van Horn, Harold W. Shallcross, W. Edgar Hayes, Benjamin Toy, Kirk Cramer, Claude Rowand, Lewis Orchard, William Straub, Troop 55; Joseph Hittorff, Raymond Giron, Edward Schultz, Frank Sweeney, Troop 59; Theodore Fox, Alfred Benson, Arthur Ruby, Charles Cox, Thomas Gibson, Robert Carpenter, Alfred Milask, Rawlins Eastwick, Troop 64; Wayne Garrigues, William E. Hales, Virgil Groo, Elmer Groo, Richard Groo, Robert Reck, Fred Miller, Paul Bennett, Ronald Ferguson, William Hales. Stewart Smith, Jr., John Scarborough, Robert Bergstresser, Troop 78; 

J. Burns, Edward Taylor, Nelson Ulrich, Troop 80; Walter Angelo, Jr., Harvey Hartzelt, Joseph E. Kirk, Jack Lotz, Troop, 85; James Chemi, Charles Weaver, George Sanger, Norman Sanger, William Farr, Troop 87; John R. Hohn and Robert Pierce, Troop 102; Harry Rainey, Carl Miller, Jr., Charles Breme, E. W. Roberts, Raymond Krawczk, James Moncrief, Kenneth Litzinger, Troop 105; Eric Crowe, Kenneth Rice, Richard McKinney, Troop 109; Charles Smith, Francis Weatherby, C. Hammond, Fred Shouds, Troop 110.