John Thornton standing at the entrance of a photo lab
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Photograph. John Thornton standing in a doorway below a sign that reads "Photographic Lab." Location unknown. No date
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Items from the service of Storekeeper First Class John Harris Thornton, who served aboard the USS Atlanta (CL-51) and at Naval Advanced Base 156 in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Thornton was born on 1 October 1918 in Monticello, Georgia. He was working at the Station Hospital in Fort McPherson, Atlanta, Georgia, when he enlisted in the United States Navy on 8 October 1941. He was sent to Norfolk, Virginia, for basic training and was assigned to the USS Atlanta in early 1942. In April, the ship ported at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and was in the South Pacific by August. The Atlanta participated in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal and was sunk on 13 November 1942. Thornton was not injured but witnessed the deaths of other sailors next to him. Soon after the sinking of the Atlanta, Thornton was assigned to Naval Advanced Base 156, Éfaté, New Hebrides. He remained there until April 1944. After a short relaxation period and his marriage to Sara “Nell” Fagan on 4 June, Thornton was assigned to the Naval Air Facility, Columbus, Ohio. He remained in Ohio until his honorable discharge after the war. Thornton moved back to Georgia in 1946 and remained there until his death in January 2010. The collection consists of insignia, military documents, and photographs. For more items from the service of John Thornton, see Collections 2009.531 and 2012.352.