Yates, Orin Arthur (b. 6 Sep 1912 - d. 8 May 1943): Carl Wayne Gray Genealogies

1912 - 1943 (30 years)

Name	Yates, Orin Arthur
Birth	6 Sep 1912	Wayne County, Illinois [1]
Gender	Male
Burial	Bunker Cemetery, Rinard, Wayne County, Illinois [2]
Reference Number	YATE.O001
_FGRAVE	6321842
Military Service	World War II, Electricians Mate Second Class, USS Sims (DD-409), United States Navy [3, 4]
	Service# 3368324 Re-enlisted for a second tour of duty in May of 1939 with the stipulation that he and his brother James would be assigned to the same ship. Served in the Atlantic aboard the newly commissioned Destroyer USS Simms (DD-409) until the war began 7 December, 1941 when his ship departed for the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations with Task Force 17 formed around the fast carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5). Electrician's Mate 1st Class Orin Yates, along with 234 shipmates including his brother, was killed in action on May 7, 1942 when the Simms was sunk by Japanese aircraft during the opening action of The Battle of The Coral Sea. Posthumously awarded The Purple Heart Medal and entitled to The American Defense Medal, The American Campaign Medal, The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two bronze battle stars, and The WWII Victory Medal. Memorialized at the Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines. Honored also at the WWII Memorial in Flora, Illinois. (This information has been posted on the National World War II Memorial's Registry of Remembrances website by Robert Medley Gatewood. It is entered here with his permission.) Source: https://wwiiregistry.abmc.gov/honoree-plaque/?honoree_id=1901045
		Brochure, World War II Memorial, Flora, Illinois, Nov 11, 2007, page 01 of 26 pages On Veterans' Day, 2005, the city of Flora, Illinois dedicated a memorial to all known Clay County, Illinois World War II Veterans. Located on the south side of the city library, this is a copy of the brochure honoring that event. This 2007 brochure adds a matrix for locating the memorial brick that was laid in honor of each veteran. This…
		Flag of the United States, 48 Stars (1912-1959) In 1912, two stars were added to the United States flag, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars to 48. They were arranged in six rows of eight stars each. American fighting men would fight under this flag during four wars: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. (In 1959, a…
		James Allen and Orin Arthur Yates
		Brochure, World War II Memorial, Flora, Illinois, Nov 11, 2007, page 02 of 26 pages On Veterans' Day, 2005, the city of Flora, Illinois dedicated a memorial to all known Clay County, Illinois World War II Veterans. Located on the south side of the city library, this is a copy of the brochure honoring that event. This 2007 brochure adds a matrix for locating the memorial brick that was laid in honor of each veteran. This…
		United States Navy Shield
		United States Navy
		United States Navy Enlisted Rates
		Military Service Ribbons, Orin Arthur Yates (1912-1943) Contributed by Carl Wayne Gray
		Purple Heart Medal, United States Military
		Purple Heart Medal, United States Military
		American Defense Service Medal, United States Armed Forces
		American Defense Service Medal, United States Armed Forces
		American Campaign Medal, United States Armed Forces
		American Campaign Medal, United States
		Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, United States Armed Forces
		Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, United States Armed Forces
		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
		World War II Victory Medal, United States Military
		World War II (1939-1945)
		Asiatic-Pacific Theater, World War II
		Battle of the Coral Sea -- World War II
		Task Force 17, World War II
		USS Sims (DD-409), United States Navy
		Brochure, World War II Memorial, Flora, Illinois, Nov 11, 2007 On Veterans' Day, 2005, the city of Flora, Illinois dedicated a memorial to all known Clay County, Illinois World War II Veterans. Located on the south side of the city library, this is a copy of the brochure honoring that event. This 2007 brochure adds a matrix for locating the memorial brick that was laid in honor of each veteran. …
		World War II Honoree, Yates, Orin Arthur (1912-1943)
		Brochure, World War II Memorial, Flora, Illinois, Nov 11, 2007, page 03 of 26 pages On Veterans' Day, 2005, the city of Flora, Illinois dedicated a memorial to all known Clay County, Illinois World War II Veterans. Located on the south side of the city library, this is a copy of the brochure honoring that event. This 2007 brochure adds a matrix for locating the memorial brick that was laid in honor of each veteran. This…
		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
		Brochure, World War II Memorial, Flora, Illinois, Nov 11, 2007, page 04 of 26 pages On Veterans' Day, 2005, the city of Flora, Illinois dedicated a memorial to all known Clay County, Illinois World War II Veterans. Located on the south side of the city library, this is a copy of the brochure honoring that event. This 2007 brochure adds a matrix for locating the memorial brick that was laid in honor of each veteran. This…
Death	8 May 1943 [5]
	Cause: Killed in Action
		Battle of the Coral Sea -- World War II
Burial	Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Metro Manila, National Capital, Philippines [5]
		Memorial Headstone, Yates, Orin A and James A. This is a memorial headstone
		Memorial, Walls of the Missing, Yates, James Allen and Orin Arthur
		Entrance, Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines Also known as Fort William McKinley Cemetery The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines occupies 152 acres on a prominent plateau, visible at a distance from the east, south and west. It contains the largest number of graves of our military dead of World War II, a total of 16,859, most of whom lost their lives in operations in…
Person ID	I43077	Carl Wayne Gray Research
Last Modified	3 Oct 2026

Father	Yates, Luther Guy, b. 1 Jun 1890, Wayne County, Illinois d. Dec 1968, Richland County Memorial Hospital, Olney, Richland County, Illinois (Age 78 years)
Mother	Zimmerman, Marina Catherine, b. 10 Jan 1889, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, California d. Jan 1978, Cisne, Wayne County, Illinois (Age 89 years)
Marriage	Y [6]
Family ID	F13027	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Event Map

Birth - 6 Sep 1912 - Wayne County, Illinois

Burial - - Bunker Cemetery, Rinard, Wayne County, Illinois

= Link to Google Earth
Photos
Orin Arthur Yates (1912-1943)

Sources

[S13462] http://www.findagrave.com, Memorial Headstone, Yates, Orin A and James A, (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6321842/orin-arthur-yates) (Reliability: 2).
[S17163] https://www.findagrave.com, Memorial Headstone, Yates, Orin A. and James A., (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/229509491/orin-yates), none. (Reliability: 2).
[S15404] Robert Medley Gatewood, Brochure, Flora, Illinois, World War II Veterans Memorial, page #4, (https://genealogy.carlwgray.com/showmedia.php?mediaID=18791) (Reliability: 2).
[S13441] World War II Honoree, Orin Arthur Yates, (https://wwiiregistry.abmc.gov/honoree-plaque/?honoree_id=1901045) (Reliability: 2).
[S13449] http://www.findagrave.com, World War II Missing in Action or Buried at Sea, Orin Arthur Yates, (https://www.wwiimemorial.com/Registry/plaque_tabletsmissing.aspx?honoreeID=786817), none. (Reliability: 2).
[S13846] http://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Yates, Mamie C. and Luther Guy, (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6078661/luther-guy-yates), none. (Reliability: 2).