John F. Hart (1916-1945)

John Hart was born in Syracuse, New York, on October 20, 1916. He entered Dickinson in 1934, but did not complete his degree. He was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity.

He enlisted in the peacetime Naval Reserve in early 1941 and trained as an aviator in Jacksonville, Florida, earning his wings and an ensign's commission in April 1942. He flew anti-submarine PBYs in the Caribbean and the South Atlantic before being assigned to North Africa in November 1942.

In April 1943, he suffered severe injuries when his aircraft crashed and burned in Morocco. He then embarked on a thirteen month battle for life at hospitals in Boston and St. Albans, New York. On May 6, 1944 he was able to walk out of his ward and report for duty at the Naval Air Station in New York. He was then assigned to Pearl Harbor. However, on May 19, 1945, Lieutenant Jack Hart lost his life in the crash of an aircraft on a routine flight from Oahu.

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