Lt. JG Everett R. Backman 278009 Lt. JG – KIA

Lieutenant Junior grade Everett Raymond Backman 278009 US Navy MIA / KIA. He was born on December 26, 1919, in Everett, Massachusetts, The son of Charles Roswell Backman and Elizabeth Totten Backman Stevens. He married June Stanley on November 5, 1944 and they had one son together David Scott Backman who was born 2 weeks after his death. His wife June Louise Backman, and their son lived at 719 S. Pine St., Port Angeles, Wash at the time of his death. When Everett entered the US Navy he was 5 foot 5 1/2 inches tall weighed 147 pounds had brown hair and Brown eyes. He started serving on the USS Indiana in early 1944 and transferred off the ship a couple of times during one of these times he married June.

During the morning of August 7, 1945 the USS Indiana launched two seaplanes for an authorized routine patrol flight. In one of these planes was ARM 3C Robert B. Watson as radioman with LTJG Everett R Backman USNR the pilot. The day was beautifully clear with a calm sea and a very slight breeze. A normal launching was made and  ARM 3C Watson and LTJG Backman plane circled the ship and headed toward its assigned sector. The Ship spoke to LTJG Backman the planes pilot on the radio and he answered there was no intimation of anything amiss. In the meantime, the pilot of the 2^nd plane was piloted by Ensign Arthur D. Thomas USNR  and the radioman was Arm 2/C Larry Hawn. The 2^nd plane was trying to catch up with the plane piloted by LTJG Backman. While Ensign Thomas was still approximately 300 yards behind LTJG Backmans plane. At this point Thomas saw Backmans plane suddenly slip off to the left and spin down and structed the water 600 feet below with a terrific crash. The crash occurred at 0802 AM local time. By the time Ensign Thomas could do a half circle and land a maneuver taking approximately one minute there was no sign of the plane or its two occupants except for a small amount of floating debris and oil through which Ensign Thomas searched carefully. A destroyer was directed to the scene of the crash and joined in the search. The destroyer reported finding several small pieces of wreckage in a large oil spot. Ensign Thomas plane was still at the scene of the crash when the destroyer appeared. According to the Captain of the USS Indiana “Due to the foregoing circumstances I was forced to conclude that your son was definitely dead even though his body was not recovered.”

Lieutenant Junior grade Everett Raymond Backman and ARM 3C Robert Watson died on August 7, 1945, and their bodies have not been found. They are both listed on the MIA memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Stephen Poulsen and David Backman from Poulsen website