John T. Och (1914-1944)

John Och was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in November 1914. He graduated from Harrisburg Catholic and entered Dickinson College in nearby Carlisle with the class of 1937. He pursued a scientific degree, competed on the track team, and was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. Following his studies at Dickinson, in 1939 he earned a master's degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and took work as a pharmaceutical salesman for a firm in York, Pennsylvania.

Och entered the navy in 1942 and was commissioned in October. Beginning in January 1943, he served seventeen months of sea duty before returning home to be married in June 1944. On October 1944, Och was serving on a heavy cruiser in enemy waters when he was washed overboard during a storm and lost.

More information about other Dickinson war casualties can be found through the online project "In Remembrance" (see link for related entries below).